


When Blue Butterflies Turn to Scarlet

by laughing_jezter



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: For Want of a Nail, Gen, Metafiction, Murder-Suicide, Psychological Horror, Supernatural Elements, Surreal horror, darker and edgier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-04-30 01:25:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14485758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laughing_jezter/pseuds/laughing_jezter
Summary: The Phantom Thieves have been erased from existence. Yaldabaoth has won. The game is over. However, a new chance has been proposed: a new game, a new system, a new set of rules, a new goal, but the pieces are the same. This time for sure, they'll achieve their happy ending. Can you break this chain?





	1. Scarlet is Beyond Velvet

 

Burning

Roasting

Scorching ash.

The was a nice day. A red swirl was painted across the afternoon sky. Crimson light continued to fall onto the bustling city. Contorted bones – femurs, rib cages, humeri, all outstretched towards the black clouds from the broken concrete. The city people – adults, teenagers, children, made their ways through lively streets. Some nonchalant, some anxious. They all continued to stroll by the gigantic infrastructures, knotted bone structures,

and a group of screaming teenagers as they watched their flesh melt into black dust as every drop of crimson light falls onto their bodies.

“No…! NO!” A girl with auburn hair shook her head. Her mint green cardigan and sweet skin morphed into a black powder. 

“Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!” A girl with red hair and glasses was in a fetal position, clutching her head, begging for horrific display to end.

“This can’t…be…happening!” A boy with blue hair crawled on all fours attempting to reach the nearby bus shelter to protect himself from the brilliant downpour of crimson. As doing so, an arm gave out underneath, or more specifically, was denigrated into scorching ash. His face collided into the pavement, the taste of asphalt was on his lips.

“Not like this…” A boy with blonde hair attempted to support himself on his legs. “Not like this!” He wheezed. His gasps for air became sharp as if he were hissing. Trying to support the full weight on his body on his charcoaled legs was excruciating. However, He didn’t care. “I won’t…!” He bites his lip. His eyes are shut tight. Warm streams leaked from his eyes and strolled down his cheeks. The pain, it was too much. “DAMN IIIIT!” The boy with blonde hair screeches at the sky. Despair reaches. And finally, the boys figure became nothing more than a cloud of burning fumes.

“RYUJI!” A girl with blonde hair and pigtails screamed as she watched her friend turning into ashes. Tears welled up in her eyes. And she too succumbs. Her body disperses into black shavings. 

“Is this really the end for us…? AAUGH!” The downpour washes the blue-haired boy into a murky cloud.

“Make it stop…!” Make it stop…!” The red-haired girl with glasses continues to lay curled up, grasping her head. Her whimpers are put to rest as she dissolves into the concrete.

“Morgana…” A girl with brown hair gasped for air, struggling to speak. “what…did we do…wrong…?” Those were her final words as her body scatters into dust.

“Mako-chan…!” The girl with auburn hair cried. Warm streams rolled down her sweet face. Her form vanishes into scorching dust as her will to live surrenders. Ashes scatter in front of his azure eyes. A black cat spread out onto the asphalt.

“No…” He speaks. “This is all my fault…It’s because I got you all involved in this.”

“That’s…not true…” A boy with dark hair and glasses crawls towards him.

“Ren…” The cat weakly turns his head toward the boy. “I’m…sorry.” His voice croaked. Water swells in his azure eyes. “Please…forgive…me…” The black cat hangs his head. The red light continues to fall. His body is scattered into a cloud.

“Mo-Morgana…!” The boy reached for the cat’s formless figure. That cloud was blown up towards the towering infrastructures. It was just him. The downpour didn’t stop. His body was in agonizing pain. He took deep breathes. Then, with the little strength that he had, the dark-haired boy flipped himself on his back. The pain scorched his hips. He bit his lip and sucked the pain. His tainted eyes gazed at the deep crimson sky. The brilliant light fell on his cheeks, sizzling his skin. He winces, but it doesn’t matter at this point. He’s going to disappear. Images begin replay in his mind:

Nights of eating out, going to the theater, playing video games, days at the beach, drinking coffee. They all wore a smile. He wore a smile. They were happy. He was happy.

“Everyone…” His eyes watered. He outstretched his hand towards the sky. It blackened. Turned to charcoal. Their faces came to him one last time:

Ryuji flashed a grin and saluted.

Ann blew a kiss and winked.

Yusuke smiled warmly and waved.

Makoto looked over her shoulder with her hands behind her back and smiled.

Futaba had a cheeky grin and had her index finger pressed on her lips.

Haru giggled as she covered her mouth to contain her laughter.

Morgana yawned and stuck his tongue out.

“I’m sorry…” His will finally broke. His vison blurred as tears spilled from his eyes. “I’m such a bad leader...”

 

The rest…

A tragic sight…

 

His outstretched hand began to peel. The tainted flesh began to wash away. Drops of scarlet rained on his despoiled body. Chunks of the charcoaled skin melted away, breaking apart from his body. The scorching pain began to disappear as a result, it was almost soothing. His limbs dissolved into black clouds. The sizzling sounds could still be heard. His breathing slowed. The black clouds crawled up his chest. He closes his eyes, everything was infected in pitch black. A maniacal laugh reaches his ears. The sizzling sounds drew near… 

 

…And there was nothing left of the boy named Ren Amamiya.

The Phantom Thieves have been erased from existence.

 

* * *

 

It was all silent. No voices, no wind, not even a trace of thought. Not a lingering feeling of misfortune or agony. Just darkness, consuming everything. Though slowly, his senses started coming back, like a fragment of water dripping from a faucet. The long pauses between each drop - regaining consciousness.

 

**_H-y._ **

****

His feelings - like a bad lightbulb flickering, struggling to stay on.

 

**_C-n -ou h--r my v-ice?_ **

An echo ringed throughout. The bad lightbulb flickered steadily, but not fully.

“Wh-who’s…that…?” The spark was faint, but he called out.

 

**_Do you remember who you are?_ **

The questioned lingered. Just then, a dim flash. “Ama…mi…ya…R…en…”

 

**_Do you remember what happened?_ **

“Wha…t… happ…ened?” It was still dark. The lightbulb wavered, struggling to stay on. “What…happened?” The lightbulb began to shine. It glowed an iridescent red.

Red.

Crimson.

Scarlet.

“What happened?” Consciousness finally surfaced as images of black ash and red falling lights rushed to the mind.

 Just then, his eyes bolted. He abruptly sat up, gasping for air.

“So, you finally came to.” A man stood over him. “It took quite a while to bring your memory to this reality.”  He trailed over to a set of stairs. He took a seat and leaned back, elbows resting on a higher set. “You should be grateful.”

A pulsating sensation swelled in Ren’s head. He pressed his palms against his temples in attempt to calm the instantaneous throbbing. His vision was blurry. He focused his eyes, the agonizing headache subsided. Ren wandered his eyes not knowing of his location.

What he saw was all too strange.

The sky was painted in an obscured metallic grey. An endless body of red stretched beyond the horizon. It was an ocean. Ren’s eyes looked up. A synagogue loomed over him, constructed in beautiful marble. Its doors were closed. His hand grazed over the flooring. It was wood. He was on a platform that was floating on the crimson sea. The boy had noticed his attire was odd as well. A white sweater that was stitched half way up, his left sleeve was missing, a pair ugly colored red pants that had some large rips in them and brown shoes. “Where am I?” The boy’s dark eyes met the man’s gaze, they gleamed a vibrant scarlet.

“On a raft of course.” The man answered smugly.

“Did you rescue me?” he asked. The man shook his head.

“So,” Ren’s eyes dimmed and lowered his gaze. “I’m dead after all…” a bitter grin was drawn across his lips.

“Not precisely.”

The boy’s eyes suddenly lit up. “So, I’m alive?” Was there hope?

“Also, not true.” The man rubbed his chin. Ren then frowned.

“Who in the world are you anyway?” The boy folded his arms, questioning the man sitting on the steps of the synagogue.

The man smiled. “Long time no see.”

“Uhh…I’m only just now seeing you.” Ren raised an eyebrow.

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Do I know you?” He was beginning to lose his patience.

“Geez, you honestly can’t tell by my voice?” The man sat up and walked to the edge of the platform. “My form may be altered to resemble a human, but I sure as hell should be recognizable.” His attention wandered off into the horizon of the vast sea. Ren didn’t know what to think. They had already met? He then proceeded to study his physique. He had a very western appearance. The man had deep burgundy hair, wore a black top hat, a grey vest with a white cravat laced around his neck, a crimson jacket along with red pants, and black boots. His voice rang a deep dark tone. It was strange. He felt like he had heard that voice before. Then, something clicked in Ren’s head. His eyes dilated in disbelief. 

**_Could he be?_ **

 

“Ar-” The dark-haired boy tried to speak, but his voice cracked in the process. He gulped. “Arsene? Is that you?” The man then turned to face him. He took his top hat off and placed it on his chest.

“Why hello Trickster. I’m glad we were able to reunite.” He bowed. “However, not in the way I expected.” Yes, it was Arsene. Ren got a better look of his facial appearance. He took on the appearance of a young adult, perhaps 19 or 20 years of age, a few years older than the boy formerly known as the Trickster. He had a rigid jawline, oval eyes, and a rather large nose – a man of European decent. He put his hat back on and trudged over to the synagogue stairs and took a seat once again. Ren began to stand. Just then, a wave of fatigue hit him. His legs toppled as he landed on his rear. Nausea suddenly came over him. “Don’t push yourself just yet.” Arsene crossed his legs as he sat. How sophisticated. “Your body is not used to this new reality.”

“New…reality?” Ren gazed up. Arsene nodded. The boy frowned and sat crisscrossed, hand in his lap. “Okay,” he started. “What’s going on here? Where are the others?” Arsene just looked at him and then sighed.

“You should already know.” He started rubbing his chin. “They’re gone.” Ren’s gut sank. They were gone. Yes, he recalled the last moments with everyone. They were all being erased from the people’s cognition as an after effect of Mementos emerging with the real world.

Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Futaba, Makoto, Haru and Morgana.

 

They were all killed.

 

Ren bit his lip. “If they’re dead, then why am I the only one here?” The young man doesn’t answer.

“I’ve already told you,” He then stands up. “this isn’t the land of the dead.” The European man makes over towards the boy. “This is a new reality made to give us a second chance.” Those words raised attention.

“A second chance?”

Arsene walked over to the edge of the platform. “That other world, where Shadows, Personas, the Metaverse, and the Velvet Room existed, it was all a game.” He walks to the other side of the platform, both hands behind his back. “It was a game set by a being that worked with one of the pieces you encountered that referred itself as the Holy Grail. That piece’s true name is Yaldabaoth, a god of Law and Control.” He continued to explain the situation. “He was simply stronger than the rest of us, and unfortunately, we lost.”

 

**_We lost._ **

Those words struck deep. Arsene stopped and looked toward him. Ren had a forlorn expression painted across his face and was looking down. The young man stared at him for a long time. He walked back over to the boy, his boots made the wooden platform creak.

“But we were given another chance.” He spoke again. “We can make things right this time. We’ll win for sure.” He spoke with much confident and assertiveness. But Ren didn’t look up at all. Arsene frowned. “Are you going to give up and the let our efforts go to waste? Don’t you want to save mankind, Trickster?” He waited for a response. There was silence. The young man grimaced. “Trickster?” he demanded an answer from him. Not a word. His head still hanging, not making eye contact. Arsene lets out a groan. He breathes in. “Ren Amamiya.” The boy dressed in red and white flinched. He began to slowly raise his head and Arsene saw the expression on his face. There was no light in his eyes. They were hollow, dark, puffy…

and the will of rebellion was gone.

The young European gritted his teeth. He took a step back, kneeled on one leg, and bowed his head. “I’m deeply sorry.” Ren blinked. He was sorry? “It’s because I wasn’t strong enough. Perhaps if I had more willpower, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.” The boy shook his head.

“No, that’s…” his voice croaked.  Ren lowered his gaze again. Memories surfaced in his head once more:

Screams, cries, and scorching ashes. It was all too vivid.

 

**_Everyone…I…I…!_ **

 

 His lips puckered and his eyes began to burn. He hurriedly wipes his eyes with his arm.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself.” The man dressed in red spoke again. Ren returned to his attention. “I am Arsene, the priest of Mugenran and disciple of Philemon. My role is to carry out his wishes, that is, to overturn the result of the original game into our favor.”

 

**_Priest?_ **

**_Mugenran?_ **

**_Philemon?_ **

**_Original Game?_ **

 

Ren didn’t comprehend but didn’t say anything and listened. Arsene continued.

“It cannot be done by my hands alone. Yaldabaoth will have powerful pieces at his side. I need your assistance, Trickster.” Another blow to the boy’s gut. He broke eye contact with the man dressed in crimson as his irises shifted to the lower corner of his eyes. Arsene blinked. Another period of silence fell.

“Are you listening to me, Trickster?” He raised his voice. Ren then shut his eyes tight, brows drawing down. Arsene was now irritated. How on earth was he supposed to explain the situation if the boy won’t listen?

“Don’t…” Just then, the boy dressed in red and white spoke. “My name is Ren…” He spat. A beat missed within Arsene. “Don’t refer to me as that ever again.” Ren sill didn’t meet Arsene’s gaze. A wave of fault fell over him. The man stood up and looked down upon the boy. Still no eye contact.

“I’m sorry.” He began. “You are no longer the Trickster, that title has ceased. My role as a Persona has ceased as well. I am no longer the Pillager of Twilight.” Arsene also shifted his gaze away from the boy.

Yes, in this new reality, he no longer represented the power that manifested within Ren Amamiya.  The power of Persona, the Velvet Room, the Metaverse and Palaces, they are nothing more than fleeting memories of a distant reality. However, a phenomena just as great existed here as well. A strange realm with an endless sea painted in scarlet dye, a familiar figure taken human form, and another occurrence of a supernatural duel between opposing forces. 

It was silent. Just the sound of the red waves colliding against the wooden raft. Arsene took in a deep breath and exhaled, adjusting his top hat.

“Your friends are also pieces of this game as well.” The young descendant in red caught Ren flinch at his words out of the corner of his eye. Silence still remained.

“Will…” The young man turned his attention to the boy, he looked up at him.  “Will everyone be saved if I choose to go through with this? Can we really win this time?” Hope came into Ren’s eyes. It was the spark that the young descendant in red was waiting for. He knelt down and met his gaze. It was stern, but reassuring.

“I promise.” He nodded. Ren then closed his eyes, and memories surfaced once more:

They all wore smiles, and he wore a smile. They were happy, and he was happy. He wanted to take it back.

Ren opened his eyes. “Okay.” He nodded. “Let’s do it.” His dark eyes gleamed. Arsene grinned, then extended his hand out, palm up. Ren blinked and stared.

“Shall we form a contract?”

It was procedure, and all too familiar. A recollection of fractured images brewed in Ren’s mind once more:

A dim prison cell. A boy that he had just met sprawled out on the floor. An older man wearing a vermillion cape tainted with discolored hearts and a shining crown. Armored suits pinning him against the jagged brick walls, its edges cutting into his back. And the mask of rebellion coated over his face.

A drop of sweat rolled down the side of his temples. The boy slowly reached for Arsene’s hand. His own hand was shaking. Ren then grasped his palm and squeezed. The young man nodded.

“Very well…this is your resolve.”

The contract had started.

“I am thou…” Arsene closed his eyes. Suddenly, an ominous surge began to brew in the atmosphere. Ren winced, his heart began to race.

“Thou art I…” The ironclad sky became a darker shade of grey. The wind howled, and the red waves against the raft boomed with a terrifying echo. The boy in red and white jumped. His breathing became heavy, shaking in intervals. Arsene then opened his eyes and looked at him. Ren met his gaze, his eyes were a vibrant red. Ren bit his lip, took in a deep breathe and exhaled. His hand squeezed tighter against Arsene’s. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. Arsene closed his eyes again and continued to chant.

“ _Forgive the sins of the fractured memory and have the sea on consciousness wash away this crimson dream_.” The violent waves continued to crash.

“ _Let us roll the dice once more as the darkened wings of rebellion shield us from malevolent intentions_.” Then, a string of light fell from the dull-coloured skies. An incandescent cerulean gleam circled the floating platform.

“ _And with absolute certainty, the game will overturn_ …” The waves continued to thunder. The light twinkled as it came to the center between Ren and Arsene. It hovered over their hands and landed delicately. It was an azure butterfly.

“ _When the blue butterflies turn to scarlet_!” The single form of the butterfly then broke into a brilliant cerulean flash. The boys hand pulled back from Arsene’s. Even with his eyes closed, the light blinded Ren as he shielded his eyes from the intense flash. His eyelids slowly opened and was in awe with the magnificent display. The light broke into a spectacle of countless azure butterflies that danced around them. Ren was in amazement. The spectacle azure butterflies pillared towards the skies. Then, a single monarch split from the flock and floated towards the boy. Ren blinked. He slowly reached out and extended his index finger. The single monarch fluttered between the cyclone and landed on his fingertip. It brushed its antennas against his pale skin, as if it kissed him. The single butterfly flapped its wings. Ren watched in astonishment. But, the monarch’s wings began to flap violently. The boy saw this and raised and eyebrow. And before another thought crossed his mind, the butterfly shot passed his face in a blinding flash.

“Gack!” Ren fell back, his head slammed against the wooden platform. At that moment, the spectacle broke into a violent tornado. The azure mass sprouted upwards and disappeared behind the tainted clouds.

“What the hell was that!” Ren sat up, rubbing the back of his head. He winced at the pain.

“You might wanna stay down.” Arsene had a smug grin.

“Huh?” The boy dressed in red and white raised an eyebrow. And out the corner of his eye, he caught blue sparkle. He turned behind him.

“Duck.” Arsene stood up and stepped to the side. Just then, another brilliant flash. It was the cyclone of the azure butterflies, shooting towards the platform at an alarming rate.

“Oh hell!” Ren wrapped his arms around his head and laid flat on his stomach. The swarming mass of butterflies lined up with closed doors the synagogue. The azure cyclone shot passed the two in a violent whirlwind. The doors flew open as the swarm entered the marbled building. A final display of dazzling lights shone within the synagogue. The storm had passed. Ren opened slowly lifted his head. Beads of sweat rolled down his face. An anxious smile took over him.

 

**_Was all that really necessary?_ **

Arsene then turned his attention to the boy and gestured to the synagogue.

“Shall we?” He smiled. Ren didn’t say anything, though he had already made his decision. He pushed himself off the platform with both hands and sluggishly supported the weight of his body on his legs. He stumbled a bit and felt heavy. He took in a deep breath; the smell of sea salt filled his lungs. And exhaled.

“I’m ready.” A stern expression was on his face. Arsene nodded. He then walked towards the marbled structure, with Ren following suit. Their heels clicked with the beautiful stain glass stairs. They both reached the top. The Star of David was imprinted above the doorway.  The entrance was open, but beyond it was a not a lobby. A pulsating blue light emitted from within. The boy gulped. Then looked at the young descendent who had stepped to the side. Arsene reached into his pocket and held his closed hand out. He nodded to hold out his hand. Ren reached out, palm facing up. The young descendant dropped what was in his hand onto the boys. He blinked. It was a Rook.

“In a game of chess,”

Ren looked up.

“The Rook plays a great asset. It can cover all of the boards squares as opposed to the minor pieces like Bishops and Knights. It is the most powerful piece next to the Queen.” Arsene snapped his fingers and the piece of the Queen fell in his hand. “If the Queen is captured, it’s up to the Rook to protect the King and finish the game.” Ren then looked at his piece, and firmly grasped it.

“Got it.” He shoved the piece into his pocket. “So, if I’m a Rook, then what does that make you? The King?” Ren grinned as he teased the young European man. Arsene didn’t say anything and stared. Ren’s grin fainted as a drop of sweat rolled down his temple. Arsene then nodded at the pulsating light. The boy clenched his fist.

 

**_We’re going to take it back._ **

 

Ren then stepped into the pulsating light.

 

**_Just wait and see everyone. I’ll be stronger this time, I promise…_ **

 

* * *

It was dark, and cold. His consciousness was lingering in abyss of nothingness. Then, his brain read that pressure was being applied in the material world. Though, consciousness remained in the vacuum of things. Another message in his brain signaled that pressure was still being applied. It gradually became heavier, and heavier. Perpetuating and throbbing.

 

It.

Was.

Irritating.

 

Ren hampered his eyes, his vision blurred for a moment. Then, he felt something press his cheek. He rolled over and saw a black figure looming over him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. A black cat with a white muzzle, paws, and tail tip with a yellow cloth laced around its neck walked to the side of the bed. He meowed.

“Hey kitty.” Ren reached over and patted his head. The cat purred. His senses focused as he heard drops pelt against the window. The wind was blowing heavily as well. “Oh, it’s raining.” The sound of rain reverberated throughout the room. It was quite soothing actually. Ren picked up his phone and checked the date and time –10:21 AM, Sunday, May 15th. Upon checking the time, he had some unread text messages. He swiped right, unlocking his phone, and tapped the white speech bubble icon.

 **RYUJI:** Ughh it’s rainingggg. Can’t we stay home today??? Xp

 **ANN:** But Kitagawa-kun gave us tickets. It’d be a waste to not go.

 **RYUJI:** But why thooo? It’s all nasty and gross out. You don’t really wanna model for him do ya??

 **ANN:** You don’t have seasonal affective disorder now do u?

 **RYUJI:** The frick is that?

Ren rubbed his eyes as he read the messages between Ryuji and Ann. That’s right, Ann wanted to check out Madarame’s art exhibit today. They had gotten tickets from his pupil, Yusuke Kitagawa early in the week. He began to respond:

 **REN:** It’s a depression that happens when the seasons change.

Three dots appeared in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

 **RYUJI:** I’m not depressed what the hell! I just don’t like the rain is all :p

 **ANN:** We’re going. We’ve already decided. Don’t flake out on the last minute ya hear?

 **RYUJI:** Fiiiine~ We still meeting at 11:30?

11:30? That’s only in an hour. Ren pulled the covers off and swung his legs over the bed.

 **ANN:** Yeup.  

 **RYUJI:** Kk. Getting ready now.

 **REN:** See you guys in an hour.

Ren locked his phone and tossed it on the bed. He ambled over to the bathroom, used the toilet, brushed his teeth, wash his face, the works. Once he was finished, Ren walked back to his room. There was a box sitting against the back wall across the bed. He opened it. There were various sets of shirts, pants, jackets, boxers and socks. It was rainy out, so something warm should do. He pulled out a white long-sleeved V-neck shirt, black jacket, jeans and black socks. He put them on accordingly. The boy ran a hand through his unkempt hair. The sound of showers and gales continued. The black cat watched Ren walk over to his night stand and snatched his glasses. He pushed the bridge of the specs over his nose. The frames were clear glass. They were not essential, just to appeal. Ren looked at the cat, his eyes shined a mystical blue.

“Come on. Let’s go downstairs” Ren signaled as he patted the side of his thigh. The black cat jumped off the edge of the bed and hovered around his feet. He meowed. A russet bag hanged on a hook that was stapled to the bedroom door. He pulled it off the hook and opened the door. The black figure slipped through the miniscule gap before he could open it all the way. The boy closed the door and strolled down the flight of stairs. Ren and the cat reached the bottom of the stair case, he turned the corner. The living room and kitchen were connected. A young man was standing over the sink with the faucet on.

“Oh hey.” The young man looked up. It was Arsene. Ren and the cat sauntered into the living room.

“Good morning.” Ren studied his attire. A white collared shirt with black should straps, red cravat laced around his neck, and black pants.

“Your meeting with you friends today, right?” He asked as he wiped his hands on a white cloth. The boy simply nodded. Arsene turned behind him, picked up a plate and a saucer with a cup on top. “Here, I made some French toast.” He reached over the sink placed the platter and the saucer on the counter. The boy put his bag down, scooted the chair and sat down. There were 3 pieces of crispy bread, layered with butter and cream, and topped with blueberries and raspberries. The liquid that filled the cup gave the sweet aroma of tea.

In France, French toast is actually to be eaten as a desert or snack and to be washed down with some tea. But in the United States, it was served as breakfast. It seems the young French man had adopted to the American way of serving French toast. That, or that was all he knew how to make.

Arsene reached over again and handed him a fork and a knife.

“Let me guess, because you’re French?” Ren smirked as he took from him

“Haha, you’re so funny” The young man rolled his eyes. The black cat then prompted himself up on one of the seats next to the boy. He meowed. Arsene moved around the counter and saw the black figure on the cushioned chair. “Hey!” He clapped his hands. The black cat turned his head, eyes dilated. “You, off the seat.” He pointed at him and swatted towards the floor. The cat quickly jumped off the seat. His ears were back and he looked dejected. Arsene then walked over to one of the cabinets and pulled out a small package of cat treats. He took a handful and set them in a bowl that sat on the floor at the end of the counter. The cat quickly made it way to the bowl and started smacking on his food. “Why do we have a cat again?” The young descendant sighed.

“Morgana’s a stray, and he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.” Ren took a scoop of the French toast and placed it in his mouth. It was a different taste from ones that he would normally find in restaurants. He thought about it, and he remembered that Arsene said that he didn’t consume any animal products. He must have substituted other ingredients. Ren came to the conclusion that he liked it.

“You better get going. People act like the apocalypse is happening with even the smallest drops of rain.” Arsene took his own cup and sipped his tea. Ren pulled out his phone to check the time. It was already 11:06. He then picked up the pace. The finished the sweet bread and washed it down with the tea, it was plum.

“Thanks for the food.” He stood up and scooted his chair in. Morgana had finished too. Ren knelt down and opened his bag. The black figure proceeded to crawl in. The boy threw it over his shoulder with Morgana’s head peeping out. He strolled out into main hall. He grabbed his keys off the coat rack along with an umbrella, put on his brown boots, turned the door knob and opened the front entrance. A cool breeze swooped in along with scent of rain. “See you when I get back.” Ren called out.

“Alright, be safe.”

With that, he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

 

…

 

Arsene continued to sip his tea, it was sickly sweet. He watched the rain fell from the dull-coloured sky as he leaned against the balcony railing. The cool wind brushed up against his ivory face.

 

“ _So, if I’m a Rook, then what does that make you? The King?_ ”

 

Those words echoed in the young descendant’s mind.

“Me the King, huh?” A crooked grin was painted across his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the chess piece from earlier. It was the Queen. He stared at it, then closed his hand tightly. Just then, a string of azure light made its presence known. “The new game has begun…” He murmured. The fainted gleam took form into a cerulean monarch butterfly. It placed itself on the railing, right beside Arsene. “When blue butterflies turn to scarlet, that’s when the game will overturn…” he closed his eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Right…Lavenza?”

 

* * *

 

_An ace in the lost hand_

_Played by a fractured memory_

_An ace in the wrong hand_

_Played by a malevolent memory_

_But it was I who let that ace by played in the wrong hand…_

**_…Can you break this chain?_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.  
> Mugenran (無限欄): Translates to "Infinite Column"  
> [Human!Arsene](https://notsoanonymous.tumblr.com/image/173787911771)


	2. Kitsch Abstracting (Emperor): I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> QUESTION: Kitsch Abstracting (Emperor) - Yusuke Kitagawa Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <-Word> = Gratuitous English  
> Example: <-Have a nice day> = Habu a nisu dei

 

_The Reversed Emperor…_

_Its Keywords are **Domination** and **Passivity** …_

 

Shadows casts about the dimly lit room. Canvases, paint brushes, turpentine, acrylic paints, buckets, and frames laid indolently across the wooden floorboard. A paint brush swiftly glides across a canvas in a final stroke. The composition of the painting reflected a violent and undesirable emotion. Distorted lines, twisted shapes, and horrifically diverse colors blended into one image. Dark ink drooled down into the bottom edges of the canvas and dripped onto the floor. The young artist stood up from his stool and stepped back, examining his work. He then gritted his teeth. The painting was nothing more than just murky splashes of unparalleled, nonsensical shapes dowsed with colors of blacks, blues, greens and whites.

“It’s no good…” he shook his head. “It’s no good!” He rammed the heel of his shoe into the stool as it tumbled and slammed against the easel. The canvas tipped over the edge and dropped to the ground as the easel toppled back and collapsed onto the floor board. The room echoed with a terrifying boom. He backed up against the wall, slowly slid down to his rear, and buried his face in his palms. The single fluorescent bulb that lit the room hanging from the ceiling rocked back and forth, a dull spotlight waving over the boy. Silence consumed the dimly lit room. His fingers pressed against his eyes and gently stretched to his temples and applied pressure. He took in a deep breath, fumes of various art supplies filled his lungs. And exhaled. “I’m losing it…” The boy runs a hand through his blue locks. “Everything I do is so tainted and polluted. If I don’t paint an outstanding work of art by the week of the showcasing, Sensei will…” A thought crossed his mind, an unpleasant one at that. He imagined the worst of things:

Days without food, public humiliation of his disastrous work, or even…

The blue-haired boy winced and shook his head.

 

**_No! I mustn’t think of that!_ **

He stood up on his feet, ran his hands through his hair, and sighed. “I need to get out and clear my mind.” He nodded to himself. The forecast said it was rather chilly outside. He walked over to his closet and pulled out a tanned cardigan. He put it on hastily and ambled out into the hallway. The boy grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

He found himself in the streets of Shibuya. Numerous monotonous faces strolled by the busy sidewalks. Sitting on a bench, he studied the faces of the crowds that passed by him. People laughing, cursing, smoking, running, and not a single one of them was the least bit interesting. He wanted some fresh air, yet the lingering feeling of dread pulled his psyche into the dark pits. May 29th was the deadline, at the very end of the month. Then his stomach began to growl. The boy bit his lip, trying not to think about. As always, his mind always sank back into that desperate hole. Once again, he grazed his hair with a hand. Just then, a trio of teenagers caught his attention. His senses focused on them as he was able to make out their conversation.

“The theater will be crowed since it’s premiere night, so we need to be in line that very morning.” A girl with blonde hair in fluffy pigtails had an annoyed expression on her face. “The two of you live close so they’re no excuses for not being in Central Square, alright?”

“By 11, you mean in the morning, right?” A boy with black hair and glasses adjusted his specs with a push of his knuckles.

“Duh! What else!” She flipped her golden locks. “So, we’ll meet up. I bring my big purse. Ryuji, you bring the food, and Ren will bring the water bottles.” Another boy with blonde hair lagged behind them with his shoulders slouched, annoyed and gritting his teeth. “Oh, and don’t forget-“

“Okay! We’ve been over this! You’re so freaking demanding you bastard!” The boy with blonde hair yelled at the girl. Yet, it was more in a mocking manner that it was vexation. She turned around and got up to his face.

“Shut the hell up!” She retorted.

“Hey hey hey!” The boy with black hair and quickly stepped in between. “You two be nice.” The blonde boy clicked his tongue and the girl ran her hand through her hair and flipped it. The three continued to walk and discuss their upcoming plans. The blue-haired boy from afar watched them. His sights focused on the girl. Suddenly, sparks began to generate in his head. He studied her movement and body:

A slim upper waist, curvy hips, back straight, round calves, and an exotic vibe emanating from her.

 

**_Yes._ ** **_That’s it!_**

He smiled widely and began to chase after them. “Excuse me!” He called out as he approached them. They all stopped and turned to him.

  


* * *

  


The gallery was full with individuals swarming the corridors. Many paintings of various colors, backgrounds and emotions hung from the walls as the eyes of the masses took note of each one. Ren, Ryuji, and Ann made passed the entrance as they examined the crowed exhibition.

“Wow. There’s a lot of people here.” Ren was amused by how many were exited about the fine arts. Morgana popped his head out of the russet bag. “Hey, get back in.” Ren turned over his shoulder and commanded him to stay hidden. The cat just stared at him when Ren reached over and gently pushed his head down. Morgana sank back into the bag.

“Okay let’s find Kitagawa-kun.” Ann waved her hand as a signal to start following her. Before then could even take three steps, a slim boy with blue hair, a tanned cardigan, black pants and dress shoes approached them. It was Yusuke Kitagawa.

“Takamaki-san! You came!” He greeted her will a big smile. He studied her attire. Ann had red round earrings and was dressed in a lavender colored shirt with a red varsity jacket with white sleeves, A silver skirt, black tights, and red converse shoes. Yusuke then turned to Ren and Ryuji, he examined their attire. Ren was in a white long-sleeved shirt with a V-neck under a black jacket, jeans and brown boots while Ryuji less coordinated colors. A purple jacket, grey shirt with a yellow angry face, black pants and yellow sneakers. He narrowed his eyes at the two. “You really came.” His voice spoke in distaste.

“Hello? You gave us tickets! What else were you expecting?” Ryuji grimaced as he shoved both hands into his pockets.

“Just don’t be obnoxious and disturb our guests.” The young artist turned his attention to the girl. “Allow me to show you around the exhibit, and to discuss the matters of what I may have you do.”

“Okay…” She nodded awkwardly. “I’ll see you guys later.” With that, Ann disappeared with Yusuke into the sea of the masses.

“The hell…” Ryuji rashly scratched his head. “Come on dude, let’s go somewhere else and come back for Ann later.”

“But we came here to ensure Ann’s safety if anything happens.” Ren argued. “And we have tickets, let’s have a look around.” He adjusted his glasses by the rims.

“Bro, are you serious? Are we really going to ‘appreciate’ the fine arts?” Ryuji raised an eyebrow. The blonde began to impatiently tap his foot.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that. It’ll be fun.” Ren tried to sound enthusiastic and smiled. Morgana then again popped his head out of the back. He meowed. “See, Morgana agrees.” The dark-haired boy added smugly.

“I think he just wants to be fed is all.” The blonde rolled his eyes.

Ren had convinced his friend and the both made through the masses of the people.

  


...   


  


“Oh wow! This one’s really amazing!” Ann admired the one of the art pieces that was colored in various dark shades. Normally she would find art with darker colors dull or depressing. Yet, this was a special case. The girl couldn’t comprehend why she found magnificent. Perhaps it was the way the shades presented the sentiment of comfort and softness as opposed to wickedness or malignance. “There’s so many styles, it’s hard to believe that Madarame does all of this by himself.”

“Yes,” The young artist was amused. “Sensei travels frequently throughout the year. He takes various landscapes across Japan and is able to capture the aesthetics of the scenery with different techniques.” He explained, folding his arms. “In one painting, he may choose to capture the scenery to its every detail. Another painting, he’ll exaggerate its features or diminishes it.” Ann simply nodded. Yusuke continued to guide Ann through the slew of numerous paintings, sculptures and works alike that were displayed. It was then the girl’s eye widened in excitement.

“Oh, that’s the painting I wanted to see in person!” She pointed in a direction that held a mass collection of paintings.

“Which one?” Yusuke asked. He didn’t know what she was talking about, so she led him to the piece. When they approached it, she pointed to the one on the far-right corner of the wall. It was at that moment when Yusuke felt his heart miss a beat. The boy’s eyes dilated.

 

**_That’s-!_ **

 

It was a vibrant display of jaded green leaves against the autumn sunset. The sky was dyed in a beautiful scarlet orange as the golden star sank beneath the dark shadows of the mountains.

“The colors in this one are so pretty. The leaves contrast nicely with the background.” After inspecting it further, Ann her expression began to alter. Her eyes that were glistening moments ago turned into confusion. “But,” She frowned. “when I look at this, it feels somewhat sad.”

“Sad?” The boy blinked. “How so?” Yusuke turned his attention toward her.

“I don’t know how to put it.” Ann started twirling a strand of her hair on her finger as she searched for the words to describe it. “The way the sunset hides behind the mountains, it’s as if it were calling out for help.” Just then, Yusuke felt another beat miss within him. He unconsciously let his gaze lower to the ground. “Maybe I’m just overthinking it.” The girl shrugged and giggled. Ann then turned to noticed that Yusuke was looking down with a forlorn expression on his face. “Hey, are you okay?” She asked.

The blue-haired boy flinched and quickly looked up. “Don’t mind me.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Come, there are more pieces that are far more intriguing than this one.” With that, he turned away from her and started walking towards another collection of paintings. 

“H-Hey wait...!” Ann called out as she followed his lead.

 

…

 

It was around 2 o’clock when Yusuke finished his tour with Ann. They both took seats on one of the black chairs that laid throughout the gallery. The girl felt like she didn’t fully comprehend every work of art that was to be displayed. However, she felt like she learned about the many styles, techniques and interpretations of the paintings. Ann came to the conclusion that she had fun. Though, the two still hadn’t discussed the details of the project Yusuke had in mind for the girl.  

“Hey Kitagawa-kun, is Madarame not here?” Ann asked.

“Sensei is currently working on preparations for the last week of the exhibit.” Yusuke pulled out his phone and showed her an advertisement. “We’ll be holding a display of paintings by upcoming artists.”

She clapped her hands as she understood the situation.  “So, are you participating? Is that why you asked me to be your model?”

“Correct.” He smiled. “When I saw you last week, I knew if I were to use your intrinsic figure, it would help me create a work of art that Sensei would be proud of.”

The blonde blinked. “Something he would be proud of?” She repeated.

“Sensei…” The boy’s irises then shifted to the lower corners of his eyes. He bit the inside of his cheek. “Sensei has very high expectations for me. I’ve painted many pieces for this event, yet it wasn’t good enough in Sensei’s eyes.” Yusuke’s shoulders drooped as he rested a hand on his forehead.

“Kitagawa-kun…” A look of worry crossed over Ann. The blue-haired boy looked stressed out. Now that she noticed, he looked very pale and drained. When she had arrived, she didn’t know what to expect from him. Ann thought it was too odd when Yusuke had first approach her and asked her to model for him so vaguely. Though now, seeing his current status, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Sparks then arose in her eyes. “Alright!” She stood up and exclaimed proudly. Yusuke looked up at her, confused. “I’ll model for you.” He then rose to his feet and his eyes widened in excitement.

“You will?” He then reached and grabbed her hands. Ann let out a weak yelp, drops of sweat began running down her temple. “Splendid!” Yusuke had a big smile on his face. The girl awkwardly smiled back.

 

**_Well, no going back now…_ **

* * *

  


It was the next day. Ann stepped out of the underground station, the suns rays shined upon her ivory face. She and Yusuke had agreed to start modeling the day after she and her friends came to the gallery and exchanged contact information along with Madarame’s home address. The girl then saw Ren and Ryuji in front of the Teikyu building, waving at her from a distance. Ann told them she had clean up duty after class, so the boys arrived in Shibuya before her. She hurriedly approached them.

“Hey. You ready to get your hands dirty?” Ren grinned, teasing her.

“I’m modeling, not taking an art class.” Ann ran a hand through her locks and flipped it.

“I don’t know why you agreed to this.” Ryuji grimaced and scratched his head.

“Well Kitagawa-kun said that he needed help for the showcasing of upcoming artists. And he looked pretty stressed. Maybe I’ll be able to help him.” Ann then led the way to the addressed pinned on her phone. Central station was bustling with people as always. The trio jostled through the crowds - groaning, whining, complaining. “You guys don’t have to come along y’know.” She turned her over her shoulder as they struggled the mass sea of the public. Ren and Ryuji broke free and stood beside her.

“Well, I don’t like it when you go out with guys like these. Ever since middle school, you’ve been a target for all these shady people.” The blonde boy had a look of concern.

“I don’t think Kitagawa-kun’s like that though.” Ann replied. She remembered how unhealthy and stressed Yusuke looked. How jaded his eyes were and the way he carried himself, shoulders drooping and head hanging.

“Yeah, just like with that Hijuri guy, ‘member?” Ryuji’s tone of voice then became sarcastic. Ann then felt heat rise within her as an unpleasant memory surfaced to her mind. She then spun around on her heels and faced the blonde boy.

“Shut your mouth!” The girl spat.

“Hi…juri?” Ren raised in eyebrow. “What happened?” The dark-haired boy was curious.

“Weeeell~, what had happened was-” Ryuji began but he felt something clutching his arm and pulling him forward.

“RYUJI!” Ann shook his arm around furiously. A deep red tint came across her face.

“Fine! I’ll lay off!” He shook his arm away from her. They continued to walk the streets as Ann’s GPS guided them through the streets of Shibuya. Finally, they came across a building block that the GPS guided them to. Madarame’s house was in the vicinity. Then, Ann’s phone started flashing blue and green lights, signaling they have arrived at their destination.

“Is…this it?” Ryuji looked up. It was a worn looking building with dull and rusted metal exterior.

“It’s a little…unique.” Ren examined the building from top to bottom. He pulled his glasses off and began to wipe the frames with a cloth. 

“It’s the right address…” Ann then pointed to a discolored plate. “The door plate says ‘Madarame.’”

“Go ring the bell.” The blonde boy nodded to a white button sitting next to an intercom.

“Huh?” Ann exclaimed. She walked up to the doorbell and had the tip of her finger rest on the button without fully pressing it. Her finger then slowly pulled back. “The whole house won’t blow up if I press it now will it?” Ann turned away to face her friends.

“Just hold your breath and don’t breathe.” Ren said this while taking a few steps back. Ryuji did the same.

“Not helping!” She stomped her foot. Ann abruptly turned back to the white button and forcefully pushed it with her thumb.

“ _Who is it?_ ” A voice came from the intercom. It was Yusuke’s voice.  “ _Sensei is currently-_ ”

“It’s Takamaki.” The girl answered before he could finish.

“I’ll be right down!” Yusuke’s voice was filled with excitement. The two boys then walked up and stood by Ann as they waited for the young artist to open the front door. Just then, the sliding doors flew open and the blue haired boy had a smile on his face. “Takamaki-san you are he!- ” Yusuke then blinked as he saw Ren and Ryuji standing next to her. His smile then dropped into a frown.  “You two are here are as well? His tone spoke in disdain.

“Good afternoon.” The dark-haired boy bowed his head.

“Heeyy~.” The blonde just grinned smugly.

“I hope you don’t mind me bringing my friends along.” Ann then gestured to the both of them “They’re very protective of me.”

“We’re here to make sure you don’t try anything shady, y’hear?” Ryuji sneered as he rubbed nose. Yusuke then turned focused his attention to the blonde boy. He narrowed his eyes. 

“Just what are you implying?” The young artist glared at him. Ryuji then glared back and stomped his foot.

“I’m saying you’re-!” The blonde boy then felt a hand pull his shoulder back. He turned to face Ren who was shaking his head. Ryuji clicked his tongue.

“Sorry.” The dark-haired boy turned to Yusuke and bowed in apology. “We’re not trying to accuse you of anything. Ann’s just been in similar situations that didn’t turned out so well. We’re just taking precaution is all. You understand, right?” Yusuke then blinked. The young artist rubbed his chin.

“I suppose.” The blue-haired boy then stepped to the side and gestured inside. “Please, come in.” The trio then followed him inside Madarame’s household. Fumes of that carried the scent of paint immediately filled their lungs. The house must have been poorly ventilated. The floorboard squeaked and cracked with every foot step. The halls were narrow in which each end holding a hazy incandescent bulb, it was almost claustrophobic.

“This is creepier on the inside....” The blonde boy muttered.

“Hey, is Madarame here?” Ann asked.

“Sensei is at the gallery. We have the house to ourselves for the time being.” Yusuke then stopped at a slide door and opened it. There, various art supplies laid across the floors. Blank canvases and rolls of fabric were pressed up against the wall. A single fluorescent bulb lit the room. Ryuji looked around the room.

“Wow, that’s a lot on art stuff you have around.”

“What did you expect? He is an artist.” Ren playfully elbowed him. Yusuke walked to the back corner of the room and dragged a wooden stool with a leathered cushion along the floorboard. He positioned underneath the bulb and in anterior to his easel.

“Please, have a seat.” He gestured Ann to sit. And she did so. The leathered cushion was rather comfortable. “You two can have a seat over there.” He pointed at two stools that were up against the wall. Ren and Ryuji made there way over and sat down.

“Do I need to sit in a certain way?”

“Not at all. Just sit normally.” He took his seat and picked up a paint brush. “Well then, shall we begin?” Yusuke asked. Ann nodded in approval. The young artist dipped his paint brush into some ink and began with light strokes on the canvas.

Silence fell on the room. Yusuke glanced back and forth between Ann and the canvas, studying her and capturing her appearance.

“Hey, am I allowed to speak?” Ann asked as she broke the silence. But, Yusuke did not respond. He was frowning, shifting his eyes between her and the canvas. “Kitagawa-kun?” The girl spoke a littler louder. Still no response.

“Hellooo~? You there?” Even Ryuji called out to him. The blue-haired boy was not hearing a single that was being addressed to him.

“This guy’s…really concentrated.” Ren scratched his cheek.

“For real?” The blonde boy sighed. “Don’t tell me we’re gonna be here forever?” He hung his head in annoyance.

“Oh, stop whining.” Ann shot a glare at him. Ryuji sighed again.

“Might as well do some reading.” Ren then reached down and opened his back. Morgana stuck his head out and meowed. His paws came over the opening. “Hey, you stay in the bag.” The dark-haired boy commanded as he pulled out a book underneath the cat.

“What book is that?” Ryuji leaned over his friend’s shoulder. Ren held up the hardcover. The title read, ‘ _And Then There Were None.’_ The blonde boy shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know what it was about, nor did he care.

 

Time went by.

 

Ann was trying not to squirm too much in the chair, Ryuji had fallen asleep, Ren was reading, and Yusuke was still painting. The young artist dipped his brush into the light ink, his paced increased. He took a quick glance at the girl and back to the painting. A heavy stroke a drawn down. Yusuke shook his head.

 

**_No no, the hips are too wide._ **

****

The blue-haired boy sunk the brush into a dark colored ink and drew over the heavy strokes. The paint quickly dried and he washed the brushed by swirling it around in a cup of water. He continued with the white ink.

 

**_No, her jaw line is more elliptical shaped._ **

****

Another mistake. Once again, he dunked the entire brush into the dark toner and drew over the corners of the portraits jaw line. He tried again, a softer line was drawn and pulled the structure in more.

****

**_Blast, I made the strokes too rigid!_ **

****

Yusuke’s sight started to become heavy. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. He sighed as he colored over the sharp lines of the face. The young artist had decided to erase the outlines of the body and start from scratch. The paint brush was soaked in the silver ink. Yusuke drew the basic anatomy of Ann’s body, glancing back and forth over again. Once he finished, he examined the white demarcation of the body. It was…all wrong.

****

**_No! Her proportions are all wrong!_ **

 

Finally, something within Yusuke’s mind began to crack. His body felt hot as blood boiled in his veins. Drops of sweat ran down his forehead, he quickly wiped them off with his sleeve. He could feel the sticky, hot stains of his cuffs pressed against his wrists. The blue-haired boy’s concentration then sauntered into back holes of his mind. His mind then began sink into the abyss of his consciousness. There, polluted images surfaced:

Only a single blub illuminated the freezing room, with an instantaneous pulse. The floor was solid concrete, cold and sharp. He sees himself in the curled in corner, hugging his legs and burying his face in his knees.

****

**_If I don’t get this right Sensei will surely…_ **

****

And he then remembered…

…his throat was dry…

…and he was so hungry.

 

Yusuke jolted at the thought. His mind shot out of the dark pits and his attention resurfaced to his portrait. He shook his head furiously.

**_No! I must not think about that now!_ **

 

He took in and deep breath and exhaled. The young artist straightened his back, stretched his neck, and rolled his shoulders. Yusuke picked up his brush and dipped it into the silver ink. He worked on drawing the girl’s figure again; her head, eyes, chest, arms, stomach, and legs. He drew them delicately and filled the inside of the edges with the same white tone. It was not bad at all. All that was left now was to design the background. Yusuke mixed the black and red ink that created a deep vermillion. He decorated the dark canvas with splashes of the deep red ink. Silvers and Golds were added into the mix. Yusuke then stood up and took a step back and examined his painting. The young artist’s eyes dilated upon inspecting his work.

 

It

Was

Horrendous.

 

The deep vermillion smeared across the dark background colliding with the golds that created a polluted color. The silvers of light stained the image as it brought out the murky scene. The solitude figure was in the middle, isolated and desolated. It was at that moment Yusuke’s eyes began to twitch.

 

**_WHAT THE HELL! I CANNOT EVEN PAINT THE PROPER COLORS!_ **

****

“Are you done?” Ann sat up straight with a look of satisfaction on her face. Ren also looked up from his book. The two watched Yusuke stared at his painting for a while.

“DAMN IT!” Suddenly, the room shook with a violent roar. Yusuke’ swung his arm and smashed the canvas. It flew across the air and crashed into several paint buckets and frames that sat along the wall. The easel toppled over and slammed into the floorboard.

“Kitagawa-kun?!” Ann jumped off her seat as a yelp escaped from her throat. Ren also jumped as he pinned his back against the wall. Even Morgana poked his head out of the russet bag. Ryuji’s eyes suddenly shot open.

“What happened?! Is there an earthquake?!” His head turned in all direction in a panic, salvia ran down his mouth. Yusuke’s eyes widened. He quickly turned to the trio.

“I-I-I.” His hands were trembling, body covered in sticky sweat, and he felt something wet underneath his eye lids. Yusuke ran his hands over his face and rubbed his eyes. He collapsed onto his stool and groaned, hanging his head. “My apologies…I did not mean to cause a scene.” Ren, Ryuji and Ann exchanged stares, and looked back at the young artist. They all felt a sense of dread emanating from him.

“I-I’m s-s-sorry. Was I doing it all wrong…?” Ann’s voice croaked, feeling it might have been her fault. Yusuke then looked up and met her gaze. He shook his head.

“No, not at all. It’s just…” He ran a hand through is blue locks and let out a deep exhale. “My mind was too distracted by other matters that it clouded my abilities to capture you figure.”

“Uh, Yusuke-san?” Ren then pointed at the collateral mess along the opposite wall. A sea of assorted colors seeped into one another. Open paint buckets scattered transversely across the floor leaking it contents. The blank canvases and framed that were stacked against the wall were now swimming in the sea of ink.

“Oh no!” Yusuke shot up from his stool. The four hurriedly gathered the soaked buckets, canvases, and frames of the floor. They were tainted in vibrant colors. The group watched down at the mas puddle of spilled paint.

“Man, what a waste.” Ryuji scratched his head.

“I’m sorry Kitagawa-kun. I’ll help replace some of it.” Ann turned to the young artists and bowed in apology.

“There no need. All of this was provided by Sensei.” Yusuke replied with a murmur, his voice had no emotion. Ryuji fished a canvas that was buried under rolls of fabric. It was the portrait. The blonde boy’s eyes widened.

“Hey, this painting ain’t half bad.” He was impressed as he turned to show Ren and Ann. The two also studied it in amazement.

“How insolent.” Yusuke suddenly spat. “It’s complete rubbish. Not that I expected someone like you to understand.” Ryuji blinked, and he started to see red. He stomped his foot.

“Why you piece of-!” Ren then pulled on his shoulder and gave Ryuji a look of disapproval. The blonde boy’s face flushed, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I was just trying to be nice…” He looked down at the floorboard.

“I’m sorry. I know you came all the way out here today, but I need to recollect my thoughts. Let’s resume another time.” Yusuke turned and reached for the fallen easel, his voice still emotionless. He folded the legs and perched up against the wall.

“Umm…are you sure you’re okay? What about your deadline?” Ann asked with a concerned look on her face.

“I can assure you that I am fine. If I just have the rest of the day off, we can resume this on Wednesday or even tomorrow.” He turned toward her, the girl’s expression was still worried. A bitter grin appeared on his face, attempting to make her feel better. He then proceeded to rub his chin. “That is if you are willing bare everything to me.”

“Bare…” The blonde girl blinked.

“…everything?” Ren raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” The blue-haired boy nodded. “I will create the greatest nude painting that even Sensei would have to recognize.”

There was a brief pause.

“Wait…WHAT?!” Ryuji hollered.

“Nu-nu-nude?!” Ann instinctively pulled her jacket close to her body. The color of her face turned as red as a ground cherry.

“Waitwaitwait! Nude as no clothes? You can’t be serious?” Ren threw his hands up in the air and waved them anxiously.

“If I don’t submit something that is remotely decent to Sensei, there will be…inconveniences.” Yusuke’s expression then faltered once again.

“Wait a second here! This just escalated of a sudden! I need to think about this!” Ann stomped her feet. But, Yusuke didn’t seem to pay attention. “Hey! Aren’t you listening?!” She jumped up and down. The blue-haired boy blinked.

“Oh, I am sorry. Please, take your time to think this through. But, please let me know before the end of this week.”

“No! That’s not what meant!” Ann shook her head anxiously, steam flared from her eyes as the color of her face turned to a deep vermillion.

“We can discuss this another time. Sensei will be arriving home shortly.”

“No wait! We’re not done here!”

  


* * *

  


“He really wants to draw me nude?! There’s just no way!” The three were back out in the streets of Shibuya. Ann’s face still burned a deep crimson. She marched through central station with Ren and Ryuji following her. She then felt a large shadow loom over her. The blonde girl glanced over her shoulder and met Ryuji’s stare. “What? Why are you staring at me like that for?!” Her nostrils flared.

“I wanna hear an apology.” Ryuji spoke in disdain, his eyes burned hazel.

“An apology?!” Ann shot him a deadly glare. “What the hell are you talking about?!” She stamped her feet.

“‘We didn’t have to come along,’ you said ‘I don’t think Kitagawa-kun isn’t that type of person,’ you said.” Ryuji said in a semi sarcastic tone, then his eyes flared red. “He was _straight up_ s-h-a-dy! I _knew_ he couldn’t be trusted! But nooo~, you don’t ever wanna listen to me!”

“This isn’t the time to be rubbing it in my face, Ryuji!” Ann hollered and her voice echoed through out central station. Large amounts of people then turned their attention toward the trio.

“Hey you two, let’s relax and keep our voices down.” Ren tried to get in between the two, but Ryuji elbowed him and got up in Ann’s face.

“No! You listen to me, Ann! This happens every mother fucking time you get involved with a guy! Admit it!” The intensity of his voice matched the girl’s as his rang throughout the public. Even more people stopped and watched the violent feud.

“Guys?” The dark-haired boy looked around and saw the crowds of people whispering and laughing.

“I sure as hell don’t want to hear that from you! Do I need to remind you what happened our third-year school trip? That cow had you wrapped around her finger and she played you for a fool!” Ann twirled her finger in a circular motion in Ryuji’s face. The blonde boy’s head started to boil as his face took a dark shade of red.

“Guys!” Ren pleaded again, but it didn’t reach their ears.

“THAT’S NOT EVEN REMOTLEY RELAVENT!” Ryuji exploded, jumping up and down.

“GUYS!” Ren shouted for the two to stop. Just then, unpleasant images appeared in his head:

An older man and women blaring at their lungs limits. Everyone was staring at them. A younger image of him was covering his ears, tears rolled down his face. He begged them to stop, but his pleas never reached them.

“How about this Ryuji! Why don’t you-!”

“THE TWO OF YOU STOP SCREAMING AND HOLLERING LIKE YOU’RE FUCKING MONKEYS IN A ZOO!” A loud thunder broke the violent dispute. The public began walking pass them again, like the feud never occurred. Ren’s face burned a furious scarlet. He looked at the two. Both were silent, frozen, eyes dilated, and face as pale as a white horse. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. The circuits in his mind were jumbled as he desperately tried to rewire them. Another display of images flashed in his mind:

An older boy, crossing into the early stages of adulthood, led him astray from the violent screams, comforted him and assured him that everything was going to be alright.

Ren’s mind puzzled itself back together and he put back on his glasses.

“Sorry for screaming like that…” He adjusted his school uniform. He took in a deep breath and exhaled. “Let’s just…take a step back…and cool our heads.” Ann and Ryuji stood silent, not looking at each other. Ren then walked over to one of the benches and took a seat. The two followed him and did the same, still refusing to look at each other. Ryuji then sighed and turned his attention towards the blonde girl.

“S-sorry, Ann…” She too slowly looked up at him. “This has happened too many times with you before. I’m worried that you’ll fall into some dangerous punk one day and that I, or Ren, or someone else won’t be there to save you if something bad happens.” Ryuji rubbed the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry too.” Ann picked at her cuticles. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me. You know I get kinda hysterical when I’m flustered…” She hit the sides of her head and tried to smile. The blonde boy also let out a small grin. They both reached over and wrapped their arms around each other.

“Okay. Let’s try this again. Ann,” Ren clapped his hands as the two pulled back. “What are you planning to do?” Ann then rubbed her eyes.

“To be honest…” The girl squirmed a little. “I…want to model for Kitagawa-kun.” Ryuji flinched and opened his mouth to go against what he just heard her say. But, he closed his mouth, swallowed, and cleared his throat.

“Really? Why?”  Ryuji sat up straight.

“I don’t think you guys have noticed, but there’s something about him…” Ann put a finger on her lip. The blonde boy’s eyes rolled to the upper right corner.

“Well, I’m a dude…and no offense to anybody, but I ain’t that kind of guy.”

“Nooo~! That’s not what I meant!” She slapped his arm. “I just think he really needs help. Like, _really_ needs help.”

“Are you saying that he’s mentally ill?” Ren tilted his head.

“No, but I think he’s in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” Ryuji leaned forward.

“I think something’s going on between him and Madarame.”

“What makes you say that?” The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow.

“Yesterday, at the gallery, Kitagawa-kun told me that everything that he painted up until now was revoked by Madarame. He looked extremely exhausted and unhealthy.” Ann explained her meeting with Yusuke at the gallery. “He also looked the same when he kicked his painting over. As well as that there would be…’inconveniences’ if he didn’t have a piece for Madarame by the week of the art event.”

“I’m down if there is anything dirty on Madarame.” Ryuji sank back and pulled a leg over his knee.

“What do you think, Ren?” Ann leaned forward.

“That’s a really profound observation, Ann.” The dark-haired boy rubbed his chin and nodded. “But, you don’t know for sure if there is anything going on between them. And even if there is, it’s really none of our business.” 

“None of our business?” Ann stood up and looked down upon him. “Just like how it was none of your business when you helped Ryuji and I expose Kamoshida for the demon that he was? After what he did to the volleyball team?” She folded her arms and frowned. A pain reflected in her pale blue eyes. “After he raped Shiho?”

“Yeah Reny. If it weren’t for you, Ann and I would’ve been expelled by that bastard and would’ve gotten away with all the abuse he was doing.” Ryuji slapped his arm.

“But that’s…” Ren’s dark eyes faltered.

It was true. When he had first transferred, the PE teacher, Suguru Kamoshida, was known for abusing the members of the volleyball team. And to take it a step further, he had sexually assaulted one of the members and Ann’s best friend, Shiho Suzui. When her and Ryuji confronted him about it, he threatened to expel them. It was when Ren stepped in to gathered incriminating information and evidence that was later given to the police. It not only saved Ryuji and Ann from expulsion or exposed Kamoshida for his crimes, but it was the incident that banded the three together.

“I’m not saying we should ‘play hero’s’ and expose the evils of the world, but I think it’s something worth looking into.” Ren looked up to meet Ann’s gaze. She stood with her chest out, as if to say that she was on to something. A small grin appeared on his face as he rubbed the nape of his neck. He stood up.

“Okay. If you think Yusuke-san’s in trouble, then we can look into it.”

“That’s the spirit!” Ryuji got to his feet and threw an arm around Ren’s shoulder. “Hey, if we’re going to look into this, we should have a mission name!”

“Mission name?” Ren didn’t like the sound of that.

“Yeah!” The blonde boy took a step back and snapped his fingers. “Should we call this, ‘Operation Ann gets naked?’”

“Huh?!” The dark-haired boy hung his mouth open. He drove his finger into the blonde boy’s chest.  “That’s very demeaning you know! How would you feel if this was a ‘go fund me’ operation under the title, ‘Ryuji shows his balls?’”

“Ren, it’s okay. I really don’t care. Ryuji can call it whatever he wants.” Ann flipped her hair. Ren quickly looked over his shoulder at her.

“What you just said?” His cheeks puffed out.

“When it comes to me calling the shots, I’m always gonna go for the kinky shit, y’feel me?” Ryuji snorted.  

“The thing is Ren, when you’ve been called ‘slut’, ‘whore’, and ‘hooker’, by the entire school, you learn not to care when you realize: One, it’s not true. Two. It’s just name calling.” Ann then looked at Ryuji and smiled.” And three, you have friends that assure that it’s not true and that they’re there for you.”

“That riiiight~!” The blonde boy sang. Ren looked at the two, rolled his eyes, and sighed.

“Well, if you’re not bothered by it then I guess it’s okay.”

“Alright! ‘Operation Ann gets naked’ is set in stone!” Ryuji pumped a fist in the air and exclaimed. Passersby’s turned their attention toward the trio.

“Hey! Not so loud you dolt!” Ann hissed at him.

“But you just said you weren’t bothered by it.” Ren smirked.  

“Can it!” The girl playfully slapped his arm.

“Hey, why don’t we go out to dinner tonight.” The blonde boy snapped his fingers.

“Sorry. It’s been a long two days. I’m going to go home and relax for the rest of the day.” Ann rubbed her forehead.

“Fine. What ‘bout you Reny?”

“Sorry.” Ren pulled out his phone. “I’m going to church tonight in Kanda.” He started typing a text message.

“Church in Kanda?” Ryuji blinked.

“The Catholic Church?” Ann raised an eyebrow. Her eyes then lit up in curiosity. “Oh, are you Catholic?” She clapped her hands.

“No.” The dark-haired boy shook his head. “But I’m meeting somewhere there tonight.” He slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“Alright you boys, I’m going to jet.” The girl stretched her arms and ran her fingers through her golden locks.

“Okay, see ya tomorrow at school.”

“Be careful on the way home”

“I will. See ya.” She waved goodbye and headed towards the Ginza line.

  


* * *

  


Ren made a stop home and changed into something more comfortable, his usual winter attire. He hopped back on the train as the line took him to Kanda.

It was an hour ride.

The train stopped at it’s destination. Ren stepped off the station line and headed into the streets of Kanda. A fainted orange started to bleed across the sky horizon. He’s already known his destination but decided to take a little detour and survey the city. It wasn’t anything too special, city blocks, restaurants, stores, shrines, and bustling crowds going home. There was an evening slight breeze, it felt nice blowing against his face. The street he was traversing on then came to an end. He was at his destination, the Catholic Church of Kanda. Suddenly, a buzz emanated from his pocket. Ren pulled his phone out. The first thing he noticed was that a title had been added to the group chat he, Ryuji and Ann were in. It read, ‘Operation Ann gets Naked.’ Ren felt his eyebrows twitch.         


  


**RYUJI: ‘** Operation Ann gets Naked’ has been set!

 “Oh lord have mercy…” The dark-haired boy sighed and shook his head. He typed a reply.

 **REN:** You actually titled the chat that XP ~

 **RYUJI:** Yea boiiii!!

Ren couldn’t help to let out a small chuckle. He locked his screen and opened the doors to the church. The church was dimly lit. There beautiful stained-glass windows that sat along the walls. Several people were seated, either reading scriptures from the bible, praying, doing paper work and just sitting wanting some peace. His eyes shifted to the very front bench of the right, two teenagers, a boy and a girl, were having a conversation. Ren couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the boy was enthusiastic, smiling widely and his cheeks were red. The girl on other hand looked annoyed and tired. The boy waved goodbye to and walked passed Ren, not even recognizing his existence, and exited the church. Ren strolled down the aisle, hands in his pockets. The girl was looking down, irritated and drained. She had long dark brown hair with a red accessory, resembling a trinity knot. She wore a navy-blue blazer, black skirt, white knee-high socks, and black dress shoes. The dark-haired boy approached her. She looked up, and the aggravated expression quickly melted away at the sight of him. The girl smiled.

“Oh, good evening Amamiya-san.” Her eyes were a brilliant dark jade.

Hifumi Togo, a student at Kosei High School and professional shogi player who is prominent for both her skills as a shogi player and exquisite beauty. Ren had heard stories of her circulating around school and a beautiful female shogi player who can be found in the Catholic Church of Kanda. Curiosity got to him and came to the religious infrastructure himself. The two quickly made acquaintances as Ren offered his assistance to the girl in developing new strategies.

“Hello.” Ren greeted her. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fine.” She ran her fingers through her brown locks.

“Was that guy wanting lessons too?” He rested his bag of the chair and took a seat on the wooden bench. The glint in Hifumi’s eyes faltered. Her eyebrows furrowed.

“He was,” She started, but then stopped herself. “It’s nothing important…” Hifumi shook her head. Red decided to leave it at that. A meow then came out of the russet bag. Morgana’s paw pulled open the bag and attempted climb out. Ren then snapped his fingers.

“Hey, get back in the bag.” He commanded. The cat’s ears went back and he sank back in the bag. Hifumi watched and giggled.

“You still bring your cat with you wherever you go?”

“Yeah. He doesn’t like staying at home, so I just bring him with me.”

“Even at school?” The maiden leaned forward. “Won’t you get in trouble?”

“Only if I get caught.” The dark-haired boy answered with a sly grin. Hifumi giggled, putting a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. She then directed his attention to the wooden board that laid between them.

“Okay, let’s begin, shall we?” The maiden asked. Ren nodded. He sat up straight and adjusted his glasses. The two gave each other a slight bow.

“I think I’ll be able to beat this time.” Cockiness arose in his voice.

“We’ll see about that.” She sneered at his remark. “Twenty seconds per move.”

“I’ll go first.” Ren quickly placed two fingers on one of the shogi pieces, as if that was his winning strategy…

…

  


 “Checkmate.” A piece was placed transversely to the king, who was smothered by its own forces, no room, no spaces left, no escape. And it was all in the dark-haired boys favor. 

“No way…” Hifumi looked at the positions of each shogi piece, looking for an open space to move the king or protect the king. It was useless, the king was encaged by its own forces, it was a indeed, checkmate. “You actually beat me!” She exclaimed, acknowledging her defeat.

“I told you.” Ren leaned back, arms folded and a smirk across his face. “I’m the master now, Togo-san.” He rubbed his chest proudly.

“It must have been a fluke!” The young shogi player flipped her hair. But, she smiled at him. “But still, nice job. We’ve only had several sessions but your skills are improving!” The maiden commended his skills as a newcomer to shogi.

“Heh, thanks!” His cheeks felt warm as he rubbed the nape of his neck. Just then, a though crossed his mind. Yusuke and Hifumi were both students at Kosei High. Perhaps, she would happen to know some information that he didn’t. “Hey, can I ask you something?” Ren arched his back and sat up straight.

“Of course, what is it?”

“Do you know Kitagawa Yusuke?”

“Kitagawa Yusuke…” The young shogi player turned her attention up at the ceiling.  The question lingered in Hifumi’s mind for quite a while. She then snapped her fingers as she recalled the name. “Oh yes! Madarame Ichiryusai’s pupil. He attends Kosei High School. In fact, he’s in my class”

“Do you happen to know if there’s anything going on between Yusuke-san and Madarame?”

“Do you mean like rumors? May I ask why?”

“Oh, uhm…” Ren looked away for a moment. He didn’t want to tell her the details of what happened earlier in the day, that was Yusuke smashing his painting. “I actually met with him earlier today. He didn’t look so good so I was wondering if something might be going on.” It wasn’t a lie. Hifumi nodded.

“Yes, in fact I do.” Ren’s eyes then widened upon hearing those words. “There have been rumors going around at the school that Madarame plagiarizes his students work. Since the students he takes in have little finances to support themselves, he allows them to stay in his household. But in return, he extorts their own artwork as his own and threatens to remove them from his home.”

 

**_So, Ann was onto something._ **

“I can’t say for sure if it’s true though, it is a rumor after all. Madarame Ichiryusai is not just famous here in Japan, but his work is known overseas. It would be a huge scandal if it is true.”

“I see.” Ren nodded. If the rumors where true, and if terrible things were happening to him, then it would explain Yusuke’s behavior and unhealthy appearance. He pulled out his phone and checked the time. It was 6:54 PM. He got up on his feet. “It’s getting late. Should we end our session for today?”

“Yes. Thank you for taking your time to assist me.” Hifumi stood up and bowed in appreciation.

“No problem. And thanks for the info.” Ren also bowed. He then picked up his bag and opened the flap. “Come on Morgana, I bet your hungry.” He reached in and scratched his head. Ren then swung it over his shoulder. “Have a good night, Togo-san. Be safe on your way home.” He waved goodbye.

“Thank you, you as well.” She waved goodbye too.

  


* * *

  


As Hifumi was getting ready to leave, she caught a faint gleam at the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a bright mono-colored butterfly flap across the air. There, someone was standing in her range of vision. It startled her a little as she hadn’t noticed their presence until now. “Oh, may I help you?” It was a young girl so petite, she had to look down at her.

“Good evening. You are Togo Hifumi, correct?”

“Y-yes.” The young shogi player stuttered a little as she was taken back by her demeanor and appearance. But, it was mostly her appearance. Hifumi was at a lost for words. A young a girl with long pale blonde hair, ivory skin, and vibrant golden eyes. A young girl dressed so extravagantly and exquisite, she looked like an old western doll brought to life. Her dress was colored a lovely sapphire along with a headband that was held by yellow roses at the end and crystal-like butterfly wings extending passed her ear and had black gloves that rose to her sleeves. She was carrying a large brown book in one arm, which was daunting considering how small her arms were and how bulky the book appeared to be.

 

**_What a beautiful girl..._ **

****

“You hold the title of, ‘Beautiful Shogi Player.’ You must be proud to acquire such a title.”

“Not…really.” Hifumi shifted her gaze a little. She would normally be annoyed by that type of comment, but she felt anxious after hearing that. There was something about this girl that Hifumi didn’t comprehend.

“Might I ask for a match?”

“A match? I was about to leave, but…” The maiden turned her attention towards the mysterious young girl again. Her eyes shone like gemstones. They were alluring. Sweat began to roll at the side of her temples. “Okay just one quick match before I go home.” She couldn’t refuse.

“Excellent. I look forward to it.”

“Yes, uhm...?”

“My name,” The young girl took a step back, held the tip of her dress with one hand, and bowed elegantly. “is Lavenza.”

“It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Lavenza-san.” Hifumi bowed, yet it was compliant. Who was this girl she wondered and where did she come from? No one within the church seemed to acknowledge her existence. They both took and seat as the shogi board sat between them. The young shogi player started to arrange the pieces to their proper starting positions.

“Did you know, <Miss> Hifumi,” Lavenza spoke. The maiden looked up. _Miss_? Her English wasn’t that great, but she caught the young girl use an English honorific. Just then, the same brightly colored butterfly flew between her and the mysterious young girl. Lavenza held out an open palm as the shining insect hovered over it. The butterfly then morphed into a single item. It was the King piece in chess. Hifumi was in disbelief in what she was witnessing…  

  


  


“in a game of chess, the player who moves first is twice as more likely to win?”

**_Next Scarlet…_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story will be updated monthly from here on.  
> Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed.


	3. Kitsch Abstracting (Emperor): II

He had remembered the previous time he was there:

Streams of yellow colors sprawl down his face. The back of his neck. The sleeves of his robe.

It drips.

And drips.

And drips.

A mustard colored sea forms at his shoes. A bucket hanging over his head, turned upright, yellow colors still trickle from the container. He doesn’t look up. But his dark eyes focused on him, dilated and disoriented. His heart was racing. He just acted on impulse, out of rage, out of retaliation. Which one was it? The moment struck him as he had realized what he had just done. But everything after that was faded into a mist.

It was dim.

It was cold.

It was lonely.

It was Yusuke’s punishment…

 

* * *

 

Ann sat pristinely in the leathered seat as Yusuke painted her figure more diligently. The young artist had invited her to model for him once again two days after their last meeting.  She wore an attire that she would wear whenever she did modeling, a black jacket, cobalt dress with a belt around her waist, and black stockings. It brought out her prominent figure nicely. It turned out that Ann didn’t necessarily had to get naked in order for Yusuke to paint a nude drawing, he just needed a basis for his painting. Ryuji was dejected that his operation title was no longer valid.

“‘Operation Ann gets Naked’ was a total waste of a title.” The blonde boy hung his head in defeat.

“Shameful.” The dark-haired boy just shook his head.

Ren and Ryuji sat along the wall like before, watching Yusuke’s serious expression with each stroke he made. The blue-haired boy exchanged quick glances at Ann and back to the canvas. He felt more relaxed and attentive than the event prior. His breathing was steady, back straight, made swift but gentle strokes, and his mind was clear – like transparent glass.

A final stroke was made. Yusuke sat up from his stool and examined the portrait, hands folded across his arms. The naked figure was painted in solid white, prominent proportions of the figures breast, hips and thighs were beautifully captured. There was nothing sexual about the way the naked figure was presented. It was merely a display of beauty that was the female anatomy. The background was dyed a vibrant yet simultaneously delicate magenta. The magenta then seeped into deep rose-colored splashes. Yusuke frowned a little. The colors and body were more refine, yet he felt the that he failed to capture any sort of grace or exoticness that was emanating from his model.

“Is everything okay?” Ann perked up. The young artist looked up at her and smiled, though a bit displeased.

“It’s much better than the one I painted on Monday. Yet, I’m still feeling unsatisfied.”

“Can we take a look?” Ren asked in curiosity. Yusuke nodded, and then turned the easel around to were they were able to observe the canvas. The trio stood up and their eyes lit up in amazement.

“Oh wow! It’s so pretty!” Ann’s eyes sparkled in excitement.

“How is this not good enough! Even if it is nude, this is freaking awesome man!” Ryuji also couldn’t help but commend the blue-haired boy on his work.

“This is fantastic Yusuke-san!” Ren looked up at the young artist, his dark eyes shone. “Are you sure this isn’t good enough?” Yusuke felt his cheeks turn warm as he was met with praise by the three. It made him feel good about himself, though he separated the positive sensation he was met with and the sensation he failed to capture and shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m happy to hear that, but-” The young artist was then cut off by the sound of the front doors sliding open.

“Yusuke, I’m home.” A monotone voice called from the entrance of the house. It was gruff and unpleasantness arose from it.

“Sensei?!” Yusuke instinctively called out. His eyes dilated and his heart began to race.

 

**_He’s home already?!_ **

“Is that Madarame?” Ann simply asked. The blue-haired boy didn’t respond as he stood like a stone statue. Neither Ann, nor Ren, nor Ryuji recognized the feeling of paranoia and anxiety that had filled the room. The sound of the creaking floorboards soon entered Yusuke’s room as an elderly man dressed in a faded green jacket over a navy kimono walked in. It was Madarame. The elderly man blinked as he examined the room. Madarame’s eyes looked over Ann, then at Ren, then at Ryuji, and his irises focused on pupil.

“What’s going on in here?” A vile tone arose from the elderly mans voice. Yusuke met his teachers glare. It was icy, sinister, and the malice swelled in them. The blue-haired boy’s heart rang within his own ears.  

“Oh, good evening!” Ann smiled and bowed. Ren and Ryuji followed the same act, still oblivious to dreadful atmosphere that surrounded them.

“Yusuke what’s this?” Madarame asked, but it his tone was still monstrous.

“S-Sensei let m-me explain…!” Semi-jumbled words came from the young artists mouth.

“What did I tell you about having ‘guests’ over?” The elderly man’s glare penetrated deep into Yusuke’s eyes.

“Yes, Sensei, b-b-but…” The blue-haired boy struggled to form a coherent explanation. His body was trembling. It soon became noticeable to the trio as they exchanged looks of concern and regret, as though their presence may have caused this level of unpleasantry within the room.

“I made it very clear that you are prohibited from bringing people in this house!” Venom finally spewed from Madarame as his voice echoed terrifically through the edges of the walls. The elderly man took several steps forward, his shoes pounded violently against the floorboard. Yusuke instinctively took a step back. An alarm went off in Ann as she too took a step forward, not so much that she would create a separation between the two.

“We’re very sorry for intruding Madarame-sama!” The blonde girl’s voice became frantic. “You see, Kitagawa-kun asked me to model for him and-”

“Model for him?” Madarame cut her sentence, his attention turned toward her. Ann’s heart race as she met his freezing glare.

It was demonic.

A single swear drop trickled down the blonde girl’s cheek.

“I suggest you children let yourselves out.” He said.

“B-But…!” The girl attempted to dispute but choked on her words. Ann then felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes sir.” Ren just nodded. His hand then pulled away from Ann’s shoulder. The dark-haired boy moved to open doors of the room. Though Ann and Ryuji didn’t move. The two stood defiantly, glowering at him as if he had lost all sense. But Ren met their gaze, and his was just as intense. “Come on you two.” He commanded gravely. The two blondes flinched. Ryuji shoved his hands in his pockets he followed the dark-haired boy out the room. Ann looked back and Yusuke. His eyes were still dilated and was still shaking.

“I-I-I’ll text you.” She let those words spill out. Madarame watched the blonde girl scurry out of the room. The elderly man’s monstrous eyes returned to Yusuke. The young artist attempted to speak, his lips were trembling.

“Sensei, I-” He spoke out, but didn’t finish his sentence. A loud crack resonated throughout the room. Yusuke’s vision blurred for the moment, yet he felt the entirety of the room pass his sight several times followed by another gigantic bang. The blue-haired boy found himself sprawled over the wooden floor with a large shadow casting over him. His dark eyes focused as he saw the bottom of a shoe hanging over his face. Yusuke’s eyes then widened. The bottom of the shoe smashed against his nose. “AUUGH!” Yusuke screamed in pain. The foot lifted itself up, and again, struck down onto the boy’s face.

“You disobedient wretch!” Madarame spat. He lifted his foot again and drove his sole into Yusuke’s jaw. Another scream of agony escaped from the boy. “You vile oaf!” Madarame then reached over the long table and grabbed an unopened bucket of paint. The elderly man flung it into Yusuke’s stomach. The heavy container with paint slammed into his abdomen. The young artist cried out and hugged his stomach. “Not only do you have the gall to invite lowly filth into my home, you bring not just one, nor two, but three?!” Madarame then made his way over to the easel. “And this!” He snatched the canvas from the stand. “What the hell is this load of shit?!” He started waving it in the air.

“That’s-” Yusuke, who was curled into a fetal position, looked up and saw his painting Ann modeled for. The elderly man glanced up at it. A sour expression drew across his face.

“This painting,” Madarame then held it out. “ABSOLUTLEY ABYSMAL!” A fist was driven right through the canvas.

  
“NO!” The young artist cried. The painting was then thrown on the ground. Madarame began to stomp all over it.

“I thought you were capable of creating such fine art. How foolish of me.” The elderly man kicked the canvas, it screeched against the wooden floorboard. The painting stopped by Yusuke, his eyes glanced over it. Dirt, sludge, and shoe prints tainted the delicate magenta and rose colored background. A hole as the size of a walnut was blown into the naked figure. The naked body that he’d drawn so carefully. The body that Ann modeled patiently for. Yusuke’s hands reached for it, and he drew it close to his body, holding it tight. Something broke within him as a warm stream traveled across the bridged of his nose and spilled off his jawline. He then raised his head and looked and Madarame.

“But Sensei…” His voice cracked, but it was filled with defiance. “I did it for you. All of this was for you!” The blue-haired boy then sat up straight. Resilience burned in his eyes. “To tell me that I my skills as an artist-!” Yusuke began to retort, but a sudden flash stopped him as the easel was hurled toward him. The stand slammed into the blue-haired boy with a terrific boom. He fell back as the weight of the easel crushed his body. “GAHH!” The blue-haired boy cried in agony. A dark shadow then loomed over him. Madarame stared down at his student.

 “I see right know Yusuke, that you’re starting to feel like a man now. Need I remind you our last conversation?” Madarame kicked the easel that was on top of him but it remained on him. “Because of that shit you poured on me the last time, I should have beaten your ass out of my house, but I gave you a chance to pull your shit together. The next time you want to do something like again or want to talk back to me, it will be your last day standing, you hear me? I _promise_ you that.” The young artist began to recall that moment:

He had shown Madarame a new painting he had done, the elderly man was very displeased. Shouting, screaming, cursing, and other harsh rhetoric were spouted. It hurt. It really did hurt him, being berated for no actual reason. He might have begun to see red, tired of the ridicule, or wanted to take a stance. But everything blurred in that moment, compulsion took over. A bucket filled with yellow paint was beside him. And he dyed his teacher in the color yellow…

 “You’re going to bring those trash rats into my house, having that whore model for you in for the showcase? You can’t paint shit!” The elderly man’s rage continued. Yusuke’s began to grow weary as his eyes began to dull. Mist formed in his head, the sounds of Madarame’s wrath were no longer reaching his ears. “I raised you from you were a small child, let sleep in _my_ house, eating _my_ food, using _my_ art supplies, taught you skills that _I_ know,” Madarame then stomped his foot, yet the blue-haired boy didn’t flinch. “AND CAN’T EVEN DRAW A DECENT ASS PAINTING” The elderly man reached over to a table and grabbed a cup containing art utensils. He threw it at Yusuke’s face. The young artist didn’t react but noticed the pencils and paint brushes spilled in front of him. His eyes began to see red. “HERE! PAINT ME A CANVAS! PAINT ME A SHITTY CANVAS YOU USELSS-” Before Madarame could finish his viscous words, a flash darted for his face. Though, the thing that was hurled at him missed and it went passed him. His attention was caught off guard, but then he focused back to the boy of the floor. Yusuke had thrown a pencil and him and it missed. Madarame started down at him with an empty expression. The young artist then blinked, the mist that blurred his senses returned. Yusuke’s heart raced again as he realized what he had just done. Though, Yusuke had lost consciousness when he saw the reflection of a demon suddenly sprang towards him…

 

* * *

 

The sea of darkness loomed in the vacuum of things. A single dripping sound splashed along the surface.

It dripped.

And dripped.

And dripped.

The surface then began to form a reflection…

…a freezing sensation.

Yusuke’s eyes hampered. The area was dimly lit, a single fluorescent bulb illuminated the chamber. The walls and floor were solid concrete dyed in a black color. A ladder that was on the other side of the wall pillared up toward the ceiling that connected to a door that seemed to be made out of wood.

And there was him. The only artifact within the chamber.

He had awakened moments ago, yet the gears in his brain were already turning. The blue-haired boy’s eyes quickly dilated as he realized where he was. He was in Madarame’s basement.

 “No…” He shook his head.

 “Nononononononono!” Yusuke became frantic. He hurriedly got on his feet and sprinted towards the latter. The blue-haired boy jumped on the ladder and started climbing. He reached the top of the ladder and looked up at the door. His hand reached for and pushed it against it. It didn’t open. A look of horror appeared drew across Yusuke’s face, His heart echoed violently in his ears. “NO! NO! NO!” He curled his fist into a ball and threw it at the door. It made a boom and echoed through the empty basement. The door still didn’t open. Yusuke did it again as his fist slammed into the door. A pain shot through his arm this time, but he ignored it. “SENSEI OPEN THE DOOR!” Yusuke called out for Madarame desperately. But it was futile, because Madarame or anyone for the matter could not hear his calls for help. And the young artist did it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

And the door remained unopened. Red ooze began to seep from his scratch knuckles, it dripped into the cement below.

“SENSEI PLEASE! I’M SORRY! DON’T LOCK ME IN HERE! PLEASE!” Yusuke pleaded and kept punching the door with his fist. The blood from his hands soon began to imbed into the door. The blue-haired boy continues to call for his teacher’s name, but no one came.  It was then hot streams began to seep from his dark eyes. He kept calling, his voice croaking, and to the point where he was hiccuping in between in screams.

 “SENSEI?! SENSEI?!” Yusuke’s calls then became less like cries for help, and more like wails. The boy pulled back his arm as he was about to drive his fist into the door once more. However, the weight of his arm suddenly pulled him down. Yusuke’s body then went out into the air as the strength that was in his arm gave in and pulled his off the ladder. “AUUGH!” A cry escaped his throat as he plummeted to the hard cement floor. A great crash reverberated throughout the basement. Yusuke lied on the cold floor. He glanced at his hand, it was covered in blood, and he could no longer feel any sensation in his arm. The young artist sobbed and hiccuped as clutched his arm and held it to his body. Yusuke then let out a final cry, “SENSEI LET ME OUUUUUUUUUUUUT!”

But his howl was swallowed by the freezing dungeon…

 

…

 

He had awakened after some time he decided to close his eyes. 

 

**_It’s cold…_ **

****

He was huddled up in one of the corners, hugging his body, trying to keep himself warm.

 

**_It’s dark…_ **

****

He buried his face in his knees.

 

**_I’m back in here again…_ **

****

The sound of growls emanated from his stomach.

 

**_I’m…_ **

****

He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep.

 

**_I’m hungry…_ **

****

It has been days since he had been locked within the basement.

* * *

 

 

 **RYUJI:** Hey have any of you heard from dude?

 **ANN:** Who? Kitagawa-kun?

 **RYUJI:** No. Musashi Miyamoto. Of course Yusuke who else! ~  >:\

 **ANN:** No… not since we were at his place last week.

 **REN:** Like at all?

 **ANN:** Guys let’s meet up after class. I have a bad feeling about this.

 **REN:** Sure, at Central?

 **ANN:** Yup.

 **RYUJI:** Kk

It was Monday, May 23rd. The crowds across Station Square persisted as always. Ren and Ryuji had already arrived when Ann met them by the Teikyu Building.

“What’s goin’ on?” Ryuji asked.

“Guys, it’s almost Kitagawa-kun’s deadline, and he hasn’t responded to any of my texts.” Ann pulled out her phone from her pocket and showed her chat with Yusuke to the two boys. Indeed, she had sent several messages that dated back days prior and not a single reply.

“Do you think it’s Madarame?” Ren brought the possibility to attention. “If the rumors are true then do you think he…?” The dark-haired boy then frowned.

“I…I don’t know.” Ann shook her head, she wore a sad look. “I’m really worried. What if something happened? He could be seriously hurt and I haven’t taken any measures to make sure he was okay myself other than stupid texts!” She the gripped her phone tightly with both hands and squeezed in vexation.

“It’s okay Ann. We’ll march on over to Madarame’s place right now.” Ryuji reassured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The blonde girl then ran a hand through her golden locks, trying to calm herself.

“Alright, let’s get going.” She said. Ann took the lead as the trio proceeded head to Madarame’s place. The building block was the same, the same isolated streets, the same dull colors, and the same metallic structure. They had arrived at Madarame’s house. The trio wasted no time and marched to the doorbell. Ryuji forcefully pressed it with his thumb. The doorbell sound rang inside the house.

“Hello?” The blonde boy called into the intercom. There was no answer. Ryuji rang the doorbell a second time. “Anyone home?” He called again. Still, no one answered. Ann clicked her tongue, then elbowed Ryuji away from the doorbell.

“Hey!” He frowned at her, but the blonde boy felt the sense of uneasiness emanate from the girl. Ann slammed an open palm against the white button.

“Madarame-sama? Kitagawa-kun?” She called into the intercom. “It’s Takamaki.” The blonde girl had waited for a reply, but silence was the only answer.

“No one’s answering…” Ryuji scratched his head in vexation and sighed.

“Let me try texting him.” Ann quickly pulled out her phone and began to typing a message to Yusuke.

 **ANN:** Hey Kitagawa-kun. Are you home? We’re right outside Madarame’s place ringing the doorbell.

She then waited for a reply. And waited. And waited some more. Ann stared at her screen, at least hoping for three dots to appear in the bottom right corner. Seconds, and then minutes passed.

“Nothing…” Ann then took her eyes off her phone, she looked at the ground. The girl suddenly turned to her friends. “Maybe he’s still in school?” She then formed a possibility.

“No, after school sessions should be over at this time.” Ren simply said.

“Why don’t we check it out?” The blonde girl insisted.

“We don’t even know what school he goes to.” Ryuji began to grit his teeth.

“Hang on, let me check in with someone.” Ren then pulled out his phone. Ann and Ryuji both gave him a puzzling look. “Yusuke-san goes to Kosei High. I’m friends with one of his classmates.” The dark-haired boy explained. The blonde boy’s eyes lit up in excitement.

“Damn! Look at Reny coming through!” He pumped a fist in the air. Ren opened a chat and started to message Hifumi Togo:

 **REN:** Hey, got a quick question.

 **HIFUMI:** Yes, how may I help?

An almost immediate response.

 **REN:** Was Yusuke-san at school today?

 **HIFUMI:** No, he wasn’t. Actually, he hasn’t shown up to school since Wednesday of last week.

“What?” The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow.

“What? What happened?” Ann questioned, anxious about the whole situation.

“Yusuke-san hasn’t shown up to school since last Wednesday...”

“For real?!” Ryuji eyes widened at the notion.

 **REN:** What why?

 **HIFUMI:** Madarame told the school he’s preparing for the showcase for upcoming artists. He’s most likely at home working on a new piece.

 **REN:** But I’m outside his house ringing the doorbell and no one is answering.

 **HIFUMI:** Is that so? Perhaps he’s at the gallery?

Ren began typing a response, but then received another message from the girl.

 **HIFUMI:** No…that can’t be the case. The gallery is only used for displaying art.

 **REN:** What about the rumors? Are there any rumors that say otherwise?

 **HIFUMI:** Well…the rumors are saying that Madarame has Kitagawa-san locked in a dungeon.

“Locked in a dungeon?” Ren said aloud in disbelief at the possibility.

“That bastard Madarame has Yusuke locked up in a dungeon?!” Ryuji hung is mouth open incredulously.

“Shhh! Ryuji not so loud!” Ann hissed at him, hoping that the elderly man were not to appear as soon as he said that. Ren continued to type a response to Hifumi.

 **REN:** What if this is true? We have to report it to the police!

 **HIFUMI:** But there’s no evidence…we can’t report something if it’s a baseless claim.

 **REN:** Yeah you’re right…

A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. He too was becoming anxious. The dark-haired boy took in a breath and typed.

 **REN:** Can you update me if you hear anything else?

 **HIFUMI:** Of course.

Ren was about to write a reply when another message popped up.

 **HIFUMI:** That was more than just a quick question you know? ~ ;p

A smile grin drew upon his face. He wrote back.

 **REN:** I had multiple quick questions ~ XP

 **HIFUMI:** Hahahaha!!

 **REN:** Well thanks for your help. We’ll have another shogi session soon. Have a good rest of the evening.

 **HIFUMI:** Thank you, you as well. I look forward to our next session.

With that, Ren locked his phone and shoved it back in his pocket.

“Well?” Ann asked, still worried. He then shook his head.

“She didn’t know anything.”

“What the shit is goin’ on here?” Ryuji shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked the ground.

“We have to find Kitagawa-kun you guys!” The blonde girl’s voice grew even more agitated.

“We don’t even know where to look for him Ann!” Ryuji shook his head, he too was becoming more nervous.

“Well start thinking Ryuji! If something happened to him then I couldn’t possibly live with myself!” The girl spat, ordering for him to do something as an awful grimace was drawn on her face. The blonde boy’s expression also turned into an unpleasant scowl in response.

“Don’t go ‘round saying crazy crap like that dummy!” He snapped back at her.

“Stay calm you two. Ann, you said Yusuke-san sometimes goes around Shibuya for ‘people watching?’” Ren asked, quickly turning Ann and Ryuji’s attention back to the situation.

“Yeah.” Ann rubbed her eyes with an open palm.  

“Let’s start there and ask around if anyone happen to notice him there within the past several days.” Ren waited for their response. The two blondes exchanged looks, then nodded at the proposal. The trio trailed back to Station Square. They decided they should split up and ask around, Ren at Central Street, Ann at the Underground Mall, and Ryuji would stay near Station Square. Each of them stopped and asked random individuals about the whereabouts of Yusuke Kitagawa:     

“Did you happen seen him around here after Wednesday of last week?” Ren walked up and down Central Street.

“Have you seen our friend around here within the past week?” Ann checked the Malls.

“You happen to see this guy ‘round here the past couple days?” Ryuji asked the smoking zone.

Time had passed, the sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon. The Ren and Ann reconvened with Ryuji in front of the Teikyu Building.

“Any luck?” Ann looked at both of them with hope in their eyes.  

“No…” The dark-haired boy shook his head in defeat.

“Damn it…” The blonde boy cursed under his breathe. “What do we do now?” Ryuji scratched his head.

“How about checking out the gallery?” The girl thought of the first logical place Yusuke would be. The smallest amount of hope still remained in her eyes.

“The art museum closes at 5 o’clock.” Ren pulled and his phone to check the time. It was already half past 6. “That was well over an hour ago.” As soon he spoke those words, the small glint in Ann’s pale blue eyes faded. Her shoulders dropped, and she hung her head, staring at the ground.

“What if…” The girl clenched her fists. “It’s my fault?” Her voice was starting to break. The dark-haired boy turned his attention to her.

“Ann, that’s-” Before Ren could finish, Ann’s head shot up. He was met with a deadly glare.

“He never responded to any of my texts, Ren!” She stamped her foot violently into the ground. “For the past week I knew something was wrong and I didn’t do anything! I was the one who insisted on looking into this in the first place and I didn’t do a damn thing!” Ann then shut her eyes tight, her lips curled into a painful grimace. Her body started shaking. An unpleasant memory crept into her mind:

She was watching out the window. A girl with black hair tied into a pony stood at the edge of the rooftop. It was then her body went over the edge, and her figure plummeted down into the earth. And she remembered how useless she felt during the entire situation.

 “This is the whole Shiho incident all over again!” Ann violently shook her head as she recalled those memories.

“Ann, you have to stop blaming yourself.” Ren attempted to calm her down as he reached to put a hand on her shoulder, but the girl pulled herself away from him.

“Well then, what the hell do we do now Ren! Yusuke could be locked up in a dungeon just like those rumors!”

“Ann that’s-” The dark-haired boy tried to formulate another sentence, but before he could get another word across, the blonde girl cut him off.

“What? Just what Ren?! Don’t you start with ‘we don’t know if that’s true’ bullshit!” Ann spat viciously at the dark-haired boy. It was then Ren felt his blood boil.

“Ann, listen to me!” He raised his voice, composure was beginning to break. “You’re not thinking straight! You have to-” Yet, again he was cut off before he could speak get a sentence across. But this time, it was Ryuji.

“Hey guys!” Ryuji, who hadn’t said anything to this point called for their attention. However, something cracked within Ren’s mind as his eyes burned a furious red. His glasses began to fog.

“Ryuji be quiet! Not now!” He too began acting without reason. His eyes were still focused on Ann, he pointed a finger at her. “And you need to-” Ren began, yet was stopped again.

“Guys really! Look over-” Ryuji once more tried to get their attention. The boiling point then hit its limit. From the moment they arrived at Madarame’s to their current position, the dark-haired boy decided he had tolerated their foolishness long enough.

“STOP FUCKING INTERUPTING ME!” Ren exploded in a massive scream. He then felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and shake him violently.

“YUSUKE’S OVER THERE!” Ryuji hollered. Those words suddenly brought Ren back to his senses.

“H-h-uh..?” The dark-haired boy blinked several times. Ryuji then pointed the staircase that led underground. There, a rather tall figure, with blue hair dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt and black pants, was seen slowly descending the case of stairs. Ren and Ann watched the figure in disbelief, not doing anything.

“Kitagawa-kun…?” Ann then murmured. “KITAGAWA-KUN!” The blonde girl then drove a foot into the ground and sprinted towards him.

“Yusuke-san!” Ren did the same, trailing slightly behind Ann.

“Hey, Yusuke!” Ryuji followed suit. The trio called out to him, but Yusuke didn’t seem to stop.

 

* * *

 

Everything was bright. His dark eyes burned at the harsh light of the outside world. Yusuke felt extremely weak. No, that couldn’t even begin to describe how weak he felt. His hand gripped tight over the railing and he slowly climbed down the stairs.

 

**_I have…to get…away…_ **

 

That was all that was going through his mind. Those words repeated within misty depths of his consciousness. It silenced everything from the outside world. He had already reached the bottom of the staircase as he heard a voice rang down the stairway.

“Hey! Wait up!” The blue-haired boy knew someone called out to him. Yusuke had recognized that voice. It was obnoxious and boastful. He slowly turned around to see who it was, though he had already known who it was. Yusuke saw Ann, Ren and Ryuji run down the stairs and caught up with him.

“Oh…it’s you guys…” The blue-haired boy spoke in a monotone voice.

“Yusuke-san…” Ren put a hand over his mouth as he studied his appearance.

“Dude…” Ryuji’s pupils dilated as he saw Yusuke’s current state. Dark circles formed at the bottom of his eyelids, his cheek bones and jawline sank into his face. And the color of his skin was so white that he could have been mistaken for a ghost. “…you look like shit.” The blonde boy put it simply.

“Kitagawa-kun you…” Ann also clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. She slowly withdrew it. “What happened to me modeling? Have you gotten any of my messages? Are you done with your painting?” The blonde girl asked a series of questions. Yusuke looked away from the three. He didn’t reply.

“Yusuke-san…” Ren seemed hesitant. He closed his mouth, but then decided he needed to confirm his belief. “Did…Madarame do this to you?” He asked. Yusuke suddenly glanced over at the dark-haired boy.

“Th-That’s-!” Yusuke began, but an excruciating wave shocked his body. His legs gave out underneath as he doubled over on his hands and knees.

“Kitagawa-kun?!” Ann quickly knelt beside him.

“Hey! What’s wrong?!” Ren did the same. Yusuke started to breathe heavily.

“Hey man!” The blonde boy placed a hand on his back. Ryuji shook in that moment. Both in horror, and because Yusuke back was blistering cold.

“Just… leave…me alone.” The young artist tried to support himself on his feet, but couldn’t even move a muscle. “Forget about…modeling for me.” His throat cracked.

“Kitagawa-kun, I couldn’t care less about the modeling. I’m more concerned with your condition.”

“Yeah dude.” Ryuji then knelt beside him. A serious expression drew in his eyes. “Listen, is Madarame abusin’ you?”

“That’s…clearly a hoax…”

“Is that really true?” Ren didn’t believe that. Somehow, he knew that Madarame was the cause of Yusuke’s suffering. “You’re not trying to cover it up from us, are you?” The dark-haired boy pressured on for an answer. The young artist then turned his head and met Ren’s eyes. Ren flinched as he peered into his dark irises. There was no light in them. They reflected nothing. It was like looking at an empty void.

“Are you insinuating…that I’m submitting myself to be abused?” Though, his tenor spoke in pure malice.

“No that’s not-” Ren tried retract what he had just said, but was interrupted.

“Leave...me..alone.” Yusuke turned his attention away from him and demanded the trio to cease from his presence.

“Kitagawa-kun, we just-“ Ann began to reason. A violent screech then erupted throughout the entire underground floor.

“I SAID LEAVE ME ALO-!” In that moment, the boy felt everything in his body turn gelid.

His vision blurred as he saw the ground beneath melt into a mixing pool of colorless ooze. There, he could grasp faces that formed from that mixing pond of secretion. The faces had an ear to ear grin with gleaming yellow eyes, and nothing more. The jeered at him in a demonic cackle. He couldn’t move, nor could he close his eyes. The faces with enlarged smiles and guffaws drew closer to him. Then, simultaneously, their mouths opened wide and countless black holes were revealed. In each of those holes held an image of a portrait. The portraits were of him…

With various painting utensils gauged into the still alive body of his.

Yusuke Kitagawa then collapsed...

 

**_KITAGAWA-KUN?!_ **

****

**_YUSUKE-SAN!_ **

****

**_HEY! YUSUKE!_ **

_**Next Scarlet...** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally longer, almost going into 10,000 words with just dialogue alone. So I split it in half. Expect another update towards mid-late June. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed.


	4. Kitsch Abstracting (Emperor): III

****

His state of consciousness was dyed in black with a pale silver haze creeping in. Even in this deep state, faint echoes murmured in the vast making of snowy haze. Voices, hollow, and distant.

 

**_-e’s su-fer--g f--m wha- n-w?_ **

****

The words disjunct, jumbled and incomprehensible. Cognition surfaced as he understood the shallow voices were seeping from the material world. The lingering mist remained. It was a freezing sensation, one that he was familiar with. And then, the echoes of his own voice called out.

 

**_Let me out…_ **

 

He pleaded. The coldness began to envelope this deep state of unconsciousness as well. More indistinct voices surfaced in the sea of haze and darkness.

****

**_H-s b-dy is s-ffer--g fro- sev-re mal--tri—on and d-hy--ati-n._ **

****

His own voice called out again, overlapping the ones coming from the material world.

****

**_Please…Sensei…_ **

****

He had remembered the cold. He had remembered the darkness. He had remembered the vast emptiness.

****

**_Is Ki—ga-a-kun go--g t- be --ay?_ **

****

The echoes of the voices remained dull and jumbled.

****

**_I’ll be good…I won’t do it again…_ **

The white mist started to become a thick cloud, obscuring the darkness that was his unconsciousness. 

****

**_-hat do we -o Take-i-sen--i?_ **

****

The voices then became slightly more comprehensible.

 

**_Just please…let me out…_ **

****

He called out again. The white cloud becoming denser.

****

**_H--g on, I’m g-ing to g-t s-m-th-ng f--m the front en-. C-ll me if -e wakes up._ **

****

Then, the thick cloud then covered the vacuum of darkness, and it all faded into a brilliant flash…

 

“Please…let me out…” Yusuke murmured.

“Kitagawa-kun!” He heard a girl’s voice call to him. He hampered his eyes and everything was blurry. A glowing fluorescent light stung his vision. The blue-haired boy felt he was laying on a bed of some sort. It was hard and uncomfortable. Perhaps it was more of a table.

“Yusuke-san!” Another voice also spoke to him. Yusuke blinked several times, trying to focus his vision and from the bright light that was burning his dull-colored eyes. The blue-haired boy turned his head. His vision cleared and he saw the familiar faces of Ann and Ren with relieved expressions on their faces.

“Where…?” Yusuke asked, though his sentence was incomplete. His head felt empty, and his body was numb.

“We’re at the medical clinic in Yongen-Jaya.” Ren responded.

“A…clinic…?” It took some moments to register, but Yusuke understood the message.

“I’ll go get her!” Ann promptly left the room. Ryuji walked over and stood next to Ren. The blue-haired boy grabbed the edges of the table and attempted to sit up. However, his arms gave up not even halfway through the process and Yusuke fell back, banging against the table. His body was still numb and he moaned.

“Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy man!” Ryuji knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I…we…were in Shibuya…” The young artist tried to remember what had exactly happened. He remembered that he was in Station Square, the trio had showed up, but the rest was covered in mist.

“You suddenly collapsed, so we rushed you here to the clinic.” The dark-haired boy answered again.

“A clinic?” Yusuke repeated. “I lost consciousness…and you brought me…” A frowned appeared on his face. “…to a clinic?”

“I know, it sounds bizarre but-” Ren explained but was halted by the sound of an opening door. Ann came back in and brought an older woman with her, she had a clipboard in her hand. The woman glanced over at the now awakened Yusuke.

“Well, look at that. You’re alive.”  

“A…live?” The young artist blinked.

“You were undergoing a severe case of malnutrition and dehydration. Your body then went into hypovolemic shock.” She explained. The woman must be the doctor of the facility. Yusuke studied her appearance: She had navy blue hair that was cut just below her ears, brown eyes, wore a choke collar and a white lab coat over a short black with a red belt tied around her waist. Her appearance was very…unique.

“Takemi-sensei said that you were practically dead. That’s when she injected her special medicine in you.” Ann added further detail into what happened. 

“Special…medicine…?” Yusuke questioned, his mind still was in a haze.

“It’s a drug that constricts the blood vessels and allows blood to flow at a normal rate. But it contains a chemical that changes to be the equivalent to oxygen and plasma once it enters the bloodstream. That’s what saved you from certain death.”

Tae Takemi, a back-alley physician who carries a stigma in her line of work. Ren had a run in with her at a café within Yongen-Jaya. He had heard rumors about “special prescriptions” she was giving out. Curiosity got to him as he decided to check the Medical Clinic.

“Takemi-sensei is an amazing doctor.” Ren praised the doctor’s profession. He gestured to her. “No other medical specialist in Tokyo can out do this woman’s work. She makes her o-” The dark-haired boy was interrupted when Tae hit his head with her clipboard. Ren flinched. “Ow.” It didn’t actually hurt, just a reaction.

“Hey, what was our deal?” Takemi threw an ominous glare at him.

“R-Right…” Ren rubbed the back of his head. His face flushed in embarrassment. Takemi then turned her attention to Yusuke.

“Now, that you’re up, let’s do an examination, shall we?” There was a brief pause, but Yusuke nodded his head. Takemi then turned to the trio and nodded at the door. “You three wait out in the lobby.” Ren, Ryuji, and Ann quickly left the room, the door closed softly behind them. Takemi, clipboard still in her hand, pulled the chair beside the examination table and took a seat. She leaned closely. “How do you feel? Can you sit up straight?” The doctor asked. Yusuke attempted to sit up again, his body was still numb. The young artist grabbed the edges of the table and slowly supported himself up and turned his body to face the doctor. His legs dangled over the edges. Takemi held out a hand. “Pulse.” Yusuke blinked, but knew what she was doing. The blue-haired boy held out an arm, it felt heavy. The doctor took it her hands, rolling up his white sleeve. Her hands felt warm against his pale skin. Takemi took two fingers and placed them along Yusuke’s wrist:

 

_BUMP…_

_…_

_BUMP…_

 

“Hold still.” Takemi’s fingers then moved up to Yusuke’s neck. He gasped a little. Her index and middle finger were right underneath his jawline. Yusuke met the doctors gaze. Her eyes were a dark hazel. They reflected a somber sensation. Black eyeliner was drawn underneath her eyelids. Nervousness came over him. He shifted his gaze the upper corners of his eyes.

 

_BUMP…_

_…_

_BUMP…_

Takemi then pulled back from the young artist. She leaned back, reached over and grabbed the thermometer off the desk.

“Temperature.” She pulled the stick from the insertion slot, the spiral cord swayed back and forth. Yusuke opened his mouth. The tube was placed under his tongue. It was hard and cold. It tasted like plastic. They waited.

 

And waited.

 

And waited.

 

And then, there was a beep. Takemi pulled the stick from his mouth. The readings on the screen appeared. The doctor clicked her tongue. She reached back again to her desk and again, throwing the thermometer on top and snatched a blood pressure meter. Takemi simply nodded at Yusuke’s arm. The doctor strapped the cuff around his arm. She had the black pump in one hand and began to pump it. The cuff started to inflate, squeezing Yusuke’s arm and constricting it. The numbness in his arms that he was feeling earlier diminished slightly once the pressure continued to escalate. That constriction was almost satisfying to him. The pressure then suddenly vanished as the cuff deflated.

 “80 over 55. That’s still very low but the drug should have helped with that.” Takemi unstrapped the blood pressure meter and threw it back on the desk. The doctor then took her clip board and wrote down the readings. “Okay, your body was undergoing severe lack of nutrition and fluids. When was the last time you have eaten?” She leaned in.

“S-Six days…” He was hesitant on answering.

“What about water?”

“The same…”

“And why is that?” Takemi then raised an eyebrow. “You couldn’t have been fasting if you were going on without water.” The doctor had asked for some questions to get a decent overview of the situation. Though, Yusuke didn’t answer. His focus seemed to be elsewhere. “Are you listening to me?”

“A substance…that acts as artificial oxygen and plasma?” The blue-haired boy questioned her. That drug that supposedly saved his life, yet he couldn’t help to find the workings of an unknown drug to be outlandish.

“Hey, I’m asking the questions here.” Takemi tried to redirect him to the examination, but Yusuke still wasn’t listening.

“Where did…you get the types of chemicals…to do that?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know that I was the one having a checkup.” The woman quickly became irritated at the lack of cooperation. She stood up and threw the clipboard of the desk. Takemi then looked down upon the young artist, her eyes darkened. “I’ll ask again, why the hell were you going on days without food, nonetheless water?” There was venom in her tone now.

“I…” Yusuke spoke. Just then, unpleasant images crept in his mind and a freezing sensation shot through his body:

The mind begins to fade. Dark holes open up. And everything sinks in the abyss.

He violently shakes his head, bringing sense back to him. Yusuke refused to answer. Takemi sighed and scratched her head.

“We’re done here.” Yusuke looked up at her as she walked towards the door and opened it. He took in a deep breath and got up on his feet. He wobbled a little as his legs were still numb “That drug is mostly a temporary enhancer. It’ll were off soon and you’ll drop dead like a fly.” His heart skipped a beat when he heard her say that. Then, a brief pause. “I’m kidding.” Takemi rolled her eyes. The blue-haired boy frowned at that revelation. “Just get something to eat. A high protein diet will bring your body up to stability faster.” Yusuke then proceeded head out door way. He turned toward her and gave her a bow.

“Thank you, Takemi-sensei…”

 

* * *

 

“Have you decided what you wanted, Kitagawa-kun?” Ann asked as she took a sip of her tea. After the examination at Takemi’s clinic, the trio decided to take Yusuke out to the Diner in Shibuya as a starting point. The young artist refused, but they all insisted. As a result, things became awkward as Ren, Ryuji, and Ann exchanged nervous glances and useless small talk in between. “And don’t worry about the price, we got it covered.” Ann had on a smile, but it was forced and stiff. Ryuji, who was sitting next to her, just then elbowed her to get her attention.

“And by ‘we’, we mean you Reny.” The blonde boy said smugly. Ren, who was sitting across, resting a hand on his chin, looked up from his menu and shot the two a frown.

“Screw you guys.” The dark-haired boy scoffed. But, he quickly turned to Yusuke, who was sitting beside him. “Uh, by ‘you guys’ I mean Ryuji and Ann. You can get whatever you want Yusuke-san.” Ren put on that forced and awkward smile as well. However, the blue-haired boy didn’t respond. His gaze was fixed on the menu, head down, bangs drooped over his eyes. The three exchanged more glances. Minutes passed without another word spoken. Ren and Ann took sips from their tea, Ryuji blew bubbles in his soda, and Yusuke just sat in silence. More minutes passed without a word. Finally, Ryuji sighed and spoke up.

“Hey dude, Madarame is abusing ya, ain’t he?” The blonde boy addressed the elephant in the room. Ann quickly shot him a deadly glare.

“Ryuji! We agreed to drop-”

“Why?” The blonde girl was cut off when a dull mutter came from the opposite end of the table. Yusuke raised his head. “Why do you guys insist on helping me?” There wasn’t any light in his eyes and his tone was somber. “You barley know me and yet…” He then bit his lip. An anguished expression was drawn on his face. The three just watched his look saddened.

“Kitagawa-kun…” Ann’s expression too saddened. Of course, they agreed beforehand to stop pestering the blue-haired boy for answers he had no desire in responding to. But, the blonde girl had questions of her own. She rubbed the nape of her neck, and then took a deep breath. “That painting at the gallery. The one with the autumn sunset and the mountains. You painted that, didn’t you? Madarame is extorting you, isn’t he?” The blonde girl recalled that moment at the gallery:

Ann remembered the beautiful colors of the evening sun looming over the autumn mountain. She spoke highly of the painting but commented on its foreboding message, its emotional plea. And she remembered how Yusuke’s devastated mood that whole moment.

Yusuke didn’t answer Ann’s question. Though, his pained expression became even more doleful as he seemed to bite his lower lip even harder. Ren hesitated to speak, but he too had something to say.

“Togo Hifumi, she told me about the rumors that were going on at Kosei High about you and Madarame.” Ren revealed his affiliation with Hifumi. This finally got the young artist’s attention upon hearing that name.

“Togo-san?” He turned his head toward the dark-haired boy beside him.

“I’m sorry, but we needed to confirm our suspicion.” Ren rubbed the nape of his neck, feeling a little ashamed for using a seemingly underhanded way of obtaining information.

“Hey dude, we just wanna help. Are the rumors true about Madarame? If not, we’ll get out of your hair.” Ryuji made one final push for some answers. Things remained silent amongst them. They hoped for at least a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response. The three waited. And finally, they broke through…

“Sensei…” Yusuke started, but stopped himself. He gulped, took a deep breath, and exhaled.  “I promised Sensei…that I would deliver whatever he desired. I would comply to his demands, his wishes…” The young artist stopped again. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed heavily. “In exchange, he would guide me, shelter me, provide me food, and help me develop my skills as an artist.” His body then began to tremble and his voice started to waver. “I wanted his approval, his praise…” A bitter smile twisted his lips. Yusuke gulped, but it stopped in his throat. He felt his eyes burn, blinking a few times in reaction. “…his love.” He then gripped onto the sides of his pants and squeezed tight. His eyes burned more so as his vision became blurry. He closed them tightly. “Even…” Finally, warm streams spilled from his eyes. “Even if I had to capitulate my own happiness!” Yusuke broke into sobs. “Even if I had to delude myself into thinking everything was okay! I allowed myself to be his dog and have him step all over me as much as he liked! But now I’m worthless to him!” Hot tears ran down his face. Drops fell from his jawline and onto his cloths, quickly staining his white shirt. Ren, Ryuji and Ann were in total shock at the scene that had unfolded.

“Yusuke-sa-” Ren attempted to put a hand on his shoulder. Very abruptly, Yusuke swung around and latched onto Ren’s uniform. The blue-haired boy’s face was covered in tears in snot.  

“He’s going to kill me!” Yusuke exclaimed. “He’s going to kill me! He’s going to lock me in that hell hole at the start of the showcase and I’ll never come out again!” The blue-haired boy grip tightened. Ren was taken aback at the words Yusuke was spewing.

“Hey, that’s not going to happen.” The dark-haired boy tried to calm him down.

“No! No! No!” Yusuke shook his head violently.

“We’re not going to let that happen!” Ann suddenly spoke up. “We’ll report to the police and-”

“Nonono!” Yusuke’s painful cry disrupted her. “The police can’t do anything!”

“Kitagawa-kun the police-” The blonde girl tried to reason with him. Again, his painful cries drowned out what she had to say.

“Do you know how many of Sensei’s previous apprentices have gone to the police?! Sensei has connections to the authorities! And then they’re charged with false allegations and swept under the rug! THE LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN’T DO ANYTHING!” Yusuke’s cries build into excruciating screams. “HE’LL MAKE IT LOOK LIKE I COMMITTED SUICIDE! JUST LIKE THE PREVIOUS PUPILS! JUST LIKE MY MOTHER!”

“Huh?!” Ryuji’s eyes dilated in horror.

“Previous pupils?! Your mother?!” Ann clapped both hands over her mouth.

“Please!” The young artist’s screams quickly descend into more painful sobs. “N-o more!” He begins to hiccup. “No mo-re! N-o m-ore!” Yusuke repeats those words, pleading for mercy.

“Yusuke-san, we’re going to help you.” Ren then offered assistance, but Yusuke still shook his head, hiccupping in between.

“No…n-o…it’s ho-peless! It’s-”

“Stop talking like that!” The dark-haired boy abruptly grabbed his shoulders and shook him. This stopped the young artist’s disgraceful, yet pitiful language. Ren looked him dead in the eyes. “We’re going to help you. We will find a way to expose Madarame, and we’ll send that bastard to prison. Not just for you, but for the past apprentices.” A determined and sympathetic expression was drawn across the dark-haired boy’s face. “And your mother!”

“Yeah! We’ll send his ass packing like Ren did with Kamoshida!” Ryuji proclaimed. Yusuke looked at the three of them. The face that was so pale was now dyed in scarlet.

“You gu-ys…will do tha-t for me…?”

 “Of course, Kitagawa-kun.” Ann smiled. There was water swelling in her pale blue eyes. “We promise.” All three of them smiled. Yusuke didn’t know what to say. Warm streams still leaked from his dark eyes. He buried his face into Ren’s chest. The dark-haired boy slowly put an arm around and patted his back. Yusuke continued to cry.

 

…

 

It was night, 10:32 PM to be exact. After they ate, the four decided to call it a night and start heading home before the stations close. In contrast to the day, the streets of Shibuya were almost dead. The bright neon signs from the buildings illuminated roads, a slight breeze passed by, and the sounds of the night insects were audible. Yusuke followed behind the trio when he suddenly stopped.

“Umm…” He spoke up. The also stopped and turned around.

“What’s wrong?” Ren asked. There was a brief pause. And then, Yusuke bowed deeply.

“I apologize sincerely. For all of the mischief I’ve caused. And for all of the horrible things I have spoken.” The young artist then turned his attention to Ryuji. “Especially towards you. I’m truly sorry.” Again, he showed his regrets with a bow. The three were taken aback, particularly the blonde boy. Ryuji had recalled some harsh language spoken by the two of them in their early encounters.

“Hey, no hard feelings man. We just got off on the wrong foot is all.” Ryuji scratched the back of his head; his face glowed a bit red in embarrassment. “In any case, you look better already!” The blonde boy studied Yusuke’s appearance: a little but of color returned to his skin and his face did not sink as much as before.

“We’ll start our investigation tomorrow right after school. You said Madarame keeps surveillance on you, right? Does he have anyways he can check messages on your phone?” The dark-haired boy pulled out his own phone shook it a little.

“I…don’t believe so.” The blue-haired boy gave an uncertain response. Ren just nodded.

“In the meantime, just lay low, get plenty of rest, drink a lot of water, and get some food.” Ann said.

“Sensei doesn’t have a fridge to store food in. Nor can I afford to buy groceries. It’s a method in which uses to hold dominion over me.”

“Then I’ll cook for you and bring food for you!” The blonde girl clapped her hands enthusiastically.

“Thank you, Takamaki-san.” Yusuke gave a weak, but sincere smile.

“Hey, there’s no need to be so formal now. You can just call me as Ann.” She gave him a wink.   “Is it okay if I call you Yusuke-kun?” She asked him. The young artist blinked, then nodded.

“That’s right. I don’t think I properly introduced myself. I’m Amamiya Ren. You can address me as Ren.” Just then, a head of a black figure pushed out of the opening of Ren’s bag. “Oh, and this is Morgana.” He gestured to the creature.

“A cat?” Yusuke was astonished at the anomaly. He hadn’t known of the fact that Morgana had been inside Ren’s bag the entire time.

“And I’m Sakamoto Ryuji. Just call me Ryuji, ‘kay?”

“Very well. I’m in your care.” The blue-haired boy looked at them and smiled. “Ren, Ryuji, Ann.”

“We’ll do our best, Yusuke-kun.” The blonde girl then pulled her phone from her pocket.  “I still have your contact information. Do you want me to send you an invite to the group chat?”

“Yeah, we should exchange contacts.” The dark-haired boy had his already out.

“Okay.” Yusuke pulled his phone from his pocket as well.

“Yeah, me too!” Ryuji did the same. Yusuke obtained Ren and Ryuji’s contact information and the two did the same. It was getting late and the trainline was almost closing for the day.

“Let’s get go home and get some rest. We’ll let you know when we find something.” Ann said.

“We’ll expose Madarame for the criminal he is. It’s a promise.” Ren reassured Madarame’s crimes will be called to justice.

“Thank you, all of you.” Yusuke smiled.

With that, the four said their goodnights to each other.

 

* * *

 

There was a vibrating sound. It came, then it went. Then it came again. And then, stopped. There was a numbing sensation that persisted as well. Yusuke hampered his eyes; his room was dark. The buzzing sound still rang, and the numbing feeling was coming from his leg. It halted again. Yusuke moved a bit, not knowing what subtly awakened him. The noise and sensation happened once more. It dawned on him when he realized it was his cell phone was buzzing. His hand reaches for it and bring it to his face, the illumination blinded him. Through the light of the cell phone, he could see he had a call. His thumb swipes up and brought it to his ear.

“He…llo?” He answered, though is not fully conscious. 

“ _Yusuke-kun?_ ” A familiar voice rings from the other phone line. “ _It’s Ann!_ ”

“Ann…?” The young artist drowsily answers back.

“ _Sorry if I woke you up. Can you come to the front door?_ ” She sounded very ardent. Yusuke found himself mumble words that indicated he’ll meet outside. The call ended. The young artists looked at his screen. The time was blaring 6:28 AM.

 

**_What is she doing here at this hour?_ **

 

Yusuke swung his legs over the bed and stepped onto the floorboard, creaking underneath his feet. He lazily walked through the narrow hallway and approached the front door. He opened them, the sun barley showed itself over the morning horizon.

 “Hi! Good morning!” There, he greeted by Ann. The blonde girl smiled.

“What are you doing here so early in the morning? And Sensei will be waking up soon!”

“Sorry, I’ll make this quick.” Ann bowed in apology. She had a smile that she could not contain.   Her hands were behind her back, hiding something from him. Ann then presented to what she was hiding behind her back and held to out towards him. “Ta-dah!” It was some sort of box, knotted in a red handkerchief. The blue-haired boy took it from her. It was unusually cold.

“What’s this?” Yusuke asked.

“It’s your meals! I made you some food that would last you for the day!”

“You made this for me?” He looked down at the box, then looked up at the blonde girl.

“You said that you didn’t have the expenses to go out a buy any food for yourself. And that Madarame doesn’t even keep a fridge in this house.” Ann explained. “And I told you I would cook for you! I don’t know how to cook a lot of things, so I just made you three servings of omelette rice and spinach.” She still had a radiant smile on her face.

“Thank you, Ann. That’s very sweet of you.” Yusuke gave her a gentle smile.

“O-Oh, y-your welcome!” The blonde girl’s face turned a light shade of pink. “Alright, I better get going. Wanna get to school before the morning rush. I’ll text you if we find anything, okay?”

“Okay.” He nodded.

“See ya later!” With that, Ann waved goodbye. Yusuke watched her disappear into the distance.

The blue-haired boy closed the door and retreated back to his room with the box. He placed the package on the end table and plopped back onto his bed. The room was still dark. Exhaustion still reigned over him. Yusuke decided to go back to sleep. He pulled the blank over his body and closed his eyes. The blue-haired boy lied silently in his bed. Despite being in the comfort of his bed and how exhausted he felt, he did not fall back asleep. Instead, he just lied in bed, tossing and turning as moments passed. However, within those moments, his conscious wavered between being awake and asleep as a streak of light broke through his blanket. Yusuke pulled back the blankets. Rays of sunlight pierced through the blinds of the window, slightly illuminating the room. He picked up his phone and checked the displayed time – It was 9:13 AM. Madarame had already left the house. The young artist’s dark eyes hovered to the end table. The box Ann gave him was still there, wrapped in a deep red handkerchief. The sound of growls then emanated from his stomach. Yusuke reached over and picked up the box, untied the knot, and opened the lid. There were ice packs shoved around the edges within, a tray of a yellow omelette and green spinach, and disposable chopsticks. He picked up the chopsticks and loosened the tray. Another layer of a tray with the same meal was revealed underneath it. He put the lid back on and placed the box back on the end table. Chopsticks in hand, Yusuke took a piece of the omelette and spinach. He brought it to his mouth, bit down, and proceeded to chew. The flavors filled his mouth, and he swallowed.

 

**_It’s good…_ **

 

Yusuke ate the rest of the omelette and spinach Ann made him. It was the first time he had breakfast in a week.

 

* * *

 

The final bell rang as an indication that regular class sessions are over. Ren, Ryuji, and Ann agreed to meet at the library. And so, they did.

“Okay, so what are we doing?” Ryuji scratched his head as he wasn’t aware of the plan.

“We’ll look at previous cases that were against Madarame. Each of us will be at a separate computer.” Ren explained. The two blondes nodded.

“Yeah! Let’s do this!” Ryuji proclaimed loudly. Then, all the students in the library turned their attentions to the trio. Of course, the library is quite environment where students could concentrate on their studies more effectively. Ryuji’s unfortunate tendency of obnoxious assertion caused the trio to receive many irritated glares.

“Keep it down you dolt…!” Ann hissed, smacking his shoulder.

“Sorry…” The blonde boy shrank back behind the two. Ren then nodded to the set of computers arrayed along the backend of the library and they seated themselves at separate computers. There, Ren, Ryuji, and Ann began searching various articles, documents, and other media outlets in regards to Madarame. Several minutes passed without a word.   

“Hey guys, check this out.” Ann finally spoke as she directed the two to look at her screen. “It’s an article on one of Madarame’s old pupils named Minami Saki.” Ann scrolled to the top of the page. It had a photo of a middle-aged woman with long brown hair and dark eyes. Her appearance was nothing too special and seemed to be an average Japanese woman.

“What does it say?” Ryuji leaned in close to Ann, glancing at her computer.

“To paraphrase, she hung herself after her self-portrait didn’t win first place in an art competition.” The blonde girl read them parts of the article, describing the woman’s life up until the tragedy took place.

“When was this?” Ren asked. Ann scrolled back to the top of the page to view the date: it was published in 2009.

“This was seven years ago.”

“Yusuke said that Madarame made his previous pupils looked like they committed suicide when he finds their skills useless or they attempt to press charges against him.” Ren recalled.  “Do you guys think this is…” He didn’t finish his sentence, letting implications fill in the rest. The two blondes had worn a disgruntled expression.

The thought of Madarame was really capable to doing such a feat - to even entertain the notion of a person not only committing the act of murder, but to mask the death as a result of suicide. Being able to bore that perception into the general public, into reality. That power that he or she is capable of gives arise to true terror and deception. Ann gulped noticeably and Ryuji nervously rubbed the back of his neck with both hands. The three continued with their search. More moments passed.

“Hey! Got something!” Ryuji pointed at his screen. Ren and Ann leaned in close and glanced at his monitor.

“Impressive Ryuji. You really are useful when it comes to stuff like this.” Ann complimented him, though, so very smugly.

“Whatcha tryin’ to say you cow?” The blonde boy retorted. There attention then focused to the article Ryuji found. “It’s about some girl named Asahina Aoiko.” A picture of a young girl, perhaps around their age was shown. She had a more interesting appearance: having black hair that almost seemed violet with a blue ribbon. Her lips were also painted blue and heavy eyeliner were drawn underneath her eyes. “She’s kinda…gothic looking if ya ask me.” Ryuji began scrolling through the page. “Says…she slashed her own wrists…and hit a major blood vessel.”

“Was it suicide?” Ann asked.

“Umm…” Ryuji then highlighted a paragraph. “Says she had a history of panic attacks and she would cut herself to bring her senses back to her. Looks like she cut too deep…” He scrolled down where it detailed the closing statements. “They ruled this one as an accident.”

“The date?” Ann waved her finger up, telling him to scroll to the top. Ryuji did so, the date was posted in the upper right page of the article: January 11th, 2015.

“It was only a year and a half ago!”

“Let’s keep looking.” Ren said. He and Ann pulled away from Ryuji and turned to their own monitors. Their searched continued.

Clicking.

Scrolling.

Reading.

Typing.

Several more minutes passed.

“Found another one.” Ren spoke. Ryuji and Ann hovered over his shoulder. This time it was a boy: possibly around their age group, a solid chin structure, brown hair that was greased back. The dark-haired boy began to read. “Fujiwara Hideki. Madarame claimed he found him not waking up one morning and called the medics. They did an autopsy on him and found an amount of paint in his system. They concluded he consumed it the night before thus ruled it as suicide.”

“For real?” Ryuji’s dilated in horror.

“When was this?” Ann moved her finger up. Ren scrolled back to the top. The date of the article published was published in 2011.

“About six years ago.”

“Okay, I know drinking paint is poisonous, but I didn’t know it could straight up kill you over night!” The blonde boy waved his hand in front at the screen.

“Paint contains Xylene, which if aspirated, can cause your lungs to bleed, seizures, and of course, death.” Ren explained, pushing his glasses up at the bridge.

“Holy shit…” Ryuji leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. “How was Madarame able to pull something like this off?” He looked back at Ren and Ann. The two anxiously exchanged looks. The questioned just lingered, left unanswered.

“Wait,” The dark-haired boy then brought his hands together. “has any of the articles you two found mention anything about a false accusation against Madarame?”

“No.” Ann shook her head. Ryuji thought little.

“Nah uh.” He shook his head as well.

“Mine neither.” Ren sighed. He stretched his neck and messaged his sternomastoid muscle. “Let’s look for any cases were Madarame was accused for abuse or assault.” He quickly instructed. The two blondes nodded. The trio presumed looking for any piece on information regarding even the slightest of claims against Madarame. Minutes passed, then five, and then ten.

“Nothing…” Ryuji sighed in defeat.

“Not a single case, article or report pops up that has anything to do claims against Madarame’s abuse.” Ann leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes.

“What about Yusuke’s mother?” The dark-haired boy inquired. “We should ask for his mother’s name.” Ren then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. At the same time, Ryuji shot him a questioning look.

“Bro, do we really want to go that deep?”

“It’s for his sake, Ryuji.” The blonde girl also took out her phone. Ryuji clicked his tongue and did the same. Ann began typing in the group chat:

 **ANN:** Hey Yusuke-kun. We’re looking at cases of Madarame’s previous apprentices. We’re sorry to ask but, can you tell us your mother’s name?

 **YUSUKE:** I’m sorry. I can’t provide with information.

 **ANN:** I see. We’re sorry…didn’t mean to pry into personal information.

 **YUSUKE:** Oh no, it’s not that.

 **ANN:**?

 **YUSUKE:** Even I don’t know my mother’s name.

“What?” Ryuji said aloud.

 **YUSUKE:** Sensei refused to tell anything about her.

 **ANN:** I see…I’m sorry. Thanks though. We’re working on it.

“He doesn’t even know his own mother’s name, so we can’t even look her up…” Ann put her phone back in her pocket. A forlorn expression was drawn on her face.

 “It’s like Yusuke said, Madarame has connections to the authorities. He most likely has all of the allegations refuted and covered the claims from the public.” Ren took a deep sigh, removed his glasses, and rubbed his eyes.

“Dude…” Ryuji shook his head in disbelief. “This is seriously screwed up.”

“Madarame’s pupils try to throw him in jail for all the suffering he’s caused them. Then he murders them and makes it look like an accident or suicide in retaliation!” Ann curled her hands onto her cloths. She bit her lip as a pained expression formed on her face. “And Yusuke…” Her fingers curled harder onto her cloths. Horrific flashes of what happened on that day surfaced in her mind again:

A girl with black hair tied into a pony was sprawled out in the open grass. Her leg was contorted in an irregular way. A pool of red ooze dyed the greenery around her. And a scream irrupted from her own throat.

 

_“No…why…? SHIHO!”_

“Yusuke’s going to be next!” Ann hugged her self-tight. Ren then turned to her.

“Hey, it’s okay Ann. We’re going to save Yusuke. We promised we would, right?” The dark-haired boy put a hand on her shoulder. Ann then rubbed her pale blue eyes.

“I’m sorry.” The blonde girl shook her head. “I just keep thinking about what happened to Shiho. I don’t want that to happen again!”

“And we won’t.” Ren reassured.

“We gotta keep lookin.” Ryuji nodded at the two. Their such resumed. Time passed. More endless clicking. More endless scrolling. More endless reading. It was frustrating. The trio had already wasted over an hour of navigating through various documents, articles, blogs, and materials of a sort. Both Ann and Ryuji let out moans, seemingly giving up. Their current position was indeed troublesome.   

“Ann! Ryuji!” Suddenly, Ren called to the two blondes. “This guy, he’s a former pupil of Madarame. And he’s still around.”

“What?!” Ryuji swiftly stood up from his chair, exclaiming loudly. His once exhausted hazel eyes brightened upon hearing those words.

“Shhhhh! Not so loud!” Ann put a finger on her mouth, reminding the blonde boy that they were still in a library. The two blondes then leaned over Ren’s shoulder, glancing at his computer monitor. It was a middle aged looking man with black hair and glasses.

“His name is Nakanohara Natsuhiko.” The dark-haired boy explained. “He was an apprentice of Madarame nine years ago but was arrested after his ex-girlfriend pressed charges against him for stalking her. Nakanohara was released from jail five months ago.”

“Yo! This could be our guy! If he was a pupil of Madarame, then his work must have been plagiarized at some point!” Ryuji tapped his fist on an open palm.

“Does it say where he is now? Can we get in contact with him?” Ann asked.

“There isn’t any information on Nakanohara’s current status.” Ren immediately answered. There wasn’t data on his current location.

“What about his ex-girlfriend? What’s her name? We could possibly get in contact with her and she could tell us where he is.” Ryuji chimed in for a solution.

“That’s a bit of a stretch…but it doesn’t hurt to try.” Ann ran a hand through her hair and flipped it. The dark-haired boy scrolled through the page, locating were the ex-girlfriend’s name was.

“Her name is Hojou Keiko.” Ren nodded at the screen. A picture of a middle-aged women with black burley hair displayed on the screen. He highlighted the specific sentence of her location. “She lives out in Asakusa.”

“All right goon squad! Our first objective has been cleared! We’re one step closer to completing ‘Operation Save Yusuke!’” Ryuji loudly proclaimed. Again, the deathly glares from the students within the library turned their attention towards the trio.

“Keep it down!” Ann hissed at him.

“Shit sorry…!” Ryuji clapped a hand over his mouth.

The three got what they came for and concluded their search…

The trio stepped out onto the front gates of the school. The late afternoon sun beat down harshly on them. It was still May, however, the heat of upcoming summer was starting to creep in. A push came then came out of Ren’s bag. Morgana popped his head out and meowed. The dark-haired boy smiled and patted his head. He then turned to Ryuji and Ann.

“We’ll head out to Asakusa first thing after school. You guys good with that?”

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji enthusiastically pumped a fist in the air.

“I’m <turned up> now! Let’s go for it!” Ann did the same. They all agreed to call it a day, and the three went their separate ways home.

 

…

 

 **ANN:** Hey! We may have found a way to get in contact with Madarame’s old pupils that got away!

 **ANN:** Kindaaa~

 **REN:** It’s Nakanohara Natsuhiko. Does that ring a bell?

 **YUSUKE:** I cannot say that I’m familiar with that name.

 **REN:** We’re going to visit his ex, Hojou Keiko in Asakusa tomorrow and ask her where he currently is.

 **RYUJI:** Hell yeah! We’re one step closer to putting that bastard behind bars!

 **ANN:** We’ll let you know how it goes!

 **YUSUKE:** Thank you all.

The light from the phone lit Yusuke’s pale face in the darkened room. Yusuke locked his screen and half heartedly dropped it by his side, his room was immediately engulfed in darkness. Laying down on his bed, he closed his eyes and saw the faces of Ren, Ryuji and Ann:

 

_“We’re going to help you. We will find a way to expose Madarame, and we’ll send that bastard to prison.”_

**_You say that…_ **

****

 “ _Hell yeah! We’re one step closer to putting that bastard behind bars!_ ”

****

**_But I know too well…_ **

****

“ _It’s a promise._ ”

****

**_There’s no hope for me…_ **

****

The young artist turned over on his side and fell asleep…

 

* * *

 

It was the next day. Ann stopped by at Madarame’s house had brought over omelette and spinach to Yusuke again before school. It was already afternoon, he had already finished the second serving for lunch. It was supposedly cool outside for the day. A nice breath of fresh sounded nice, and Madarame would spend the night over at an inn near the gallery. So, he didn’t have to worry about being home before the old man would.  He put on his tanned cardigan, grabbed his keys and headed out.

Whether he consciously or subconsciously decided to go to Yongen-Jaya, he found himself standing in front of the Medical Clinic.

 

**_What am I doing here?_ **

Despite questioning his actions, Yusuke reaches for the knob, turned it, and opens the door. The lobby – its walls were painted an ugly greenish-grey color, fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling and red leather seats sat along the wall. A service window was to the left of him. There, behind it was Doctor Tae Takemi. Yusuke approached the window. She looked up at him.

 

“Oh, it’s you.” Takemi recognized him. Heavy black eyeliner was drawn underneath her eyelids. Her dark brown eyes reflected a somber sensation.

“Good afternoon, Takemi-sensei.” Yusuke politely bowed. “May I ask for an examination?”

“Fill this out.” Takemi slid him a clipboard with an information fill out sheet along with a pen. Yusuke took it, had a seat and began filling it out. Once he was done, he got and handed back to her.

“Here you are.”

“Kitagawa Yusuke.” The doctor scanned the sheet of paper. “You’re that pupil of that famous artist, correct?” She looked up at him. Yusuke’s expression darkened a little. He broke eye contact but nodded. “Very well, please head to the exam room.” With that, Takemi got up and disappeared behind the walls. There was a blue door ahead of him that lead to the examination room. So, he opened it, with a hall connecting a few doors. The furthest door was the examination room. He walked in and the scent of disinfectant and sanitizers filled his lungs. The woman was already in. She gestured to the table. The young artist sat on it, the paper crunched underneath. The woman took a seat and pulled the chair beside the table. “How do you feel? You seem better.” Takemi asked.

“I’m feeling…fairly stable.” Yusuke answered. Then, a hand reached for him. Two fingers were placed underneath his jawline. He gasped.

“Stay still, just checking your pulse.” Takemi said. And he did so.

 

_BUMP…_

_…_

_BUMP…_

 

The doctor then pulled back, crossing one leg over another.

 “Have you eaten anything within the last two days?” Takemi inquired.

“Yes.” Yusuke simply answered.

“Drinking water?” She raised an eyebrow. Her tone was acute.

“Yes.”

“Good.”  The doctor scooted back in her chain. She reached over to her desk and snatched the blood pressure meter.

“Takemi-sensei, might I as a question?” The blue-haired boy’s tone was hesitant. Takemi looked back at him.

“Is it about the drug I injected into you?” She shot him a frown. Yusuke remained silent. The woman sighed. She nodded at Yusuke’s arm. Just like the time before, Yusuke pulled up his sleeve. The doctor strapped the cuff around his arm. She had the black pump in one hand and began to pump it. The cuff started to inflate and constrict Yusuke’s arm. The tool squeezed, tightened, and finally released. Takemi checked the readings. “90 over 60.” She read aloud. “Still low, but better than it was two days ago.” Takemi unstrapped the device from the blue-haired boy’s arm, leaned back in her chair and threw it on the desk. She then started jotting down the readings on her sheet of paper.

“Have you…” Yusuke then spoke up. The doctor stopped writing and gave him her attention. “…ever been in a situation you couldn’t get out of, but wished you could?” There was a sense of emptiness in his voice.

“What’s this all about?” Takemi raised an eyebrow. Again, Yusuke didn’t respond. Though, he just looked down at the floor, dejected. The doctor took notice of this. Then, she clicked her tongue. “I’ve been <blackballed> by the higher medical community.” She flicked her bangs up. Yusuke looked up at her and blinked.

“<Blackballed?>” The young artists asked. She spoke a word in English, a term he had never heard before.

“I’m considered a pariah by the medical industry due to my line of studies.” Takemi explained. She turned around in her chair and tossed the clipboard onto the desk. “I was chastised heavily by my peers for my work, so here I am.”

“So, you left involuntarily.” Yusuke came to that conclusion. But the doctor shook her head.

“Wouldn’t say that. They couldn’t stand being around me more than I couldn’t stand being around them. So, I just said ‘to hell with you all’, left and never came back.” 

“I see.” The young artist listened and nodded. Just then, a buzzing sound came from the doctor’s lab coat. Takemi pulled out her cell phone. She then clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Wait here, I have to take this.” The woman then stepped out the examination room, the echoes of her heels rang out into the halls. Yusuke was alone the in the room. He took in a deep breathe and exhaled. He hunched over and ran a hand through his hair.

“What am I doing…?” The blue-haired boy muttered, shaking his head. He hadn’t a clue why he returned for a medical checkup. Everything seemed so pointless. He would go out of his way to partake in such meaningless activities when he knew his imminent doom would occur. Nothing could save him from his diabolic teacher…

Just then…

Yusuke caught a gleam on Takemi’s desk. His eyes focused.

“That’s…” He stood up and walked over to her desk. There, what he saw, was a syringe. Yusuke picked it up and studied its components. The plunger, barrel, and the shaft of the needle. Even the small point of the needle gleamed a menacing silver. Yusuke’s dark eyes dilated as a spark triggered in his mind. The echoes of footsteps resonating the outside halls. Yusuke put the syringe down and quickly took a seat on the table. The door opened. Takemi walked in with an irritated expression. She sighed and scratched her head.

“Okay, you’re good to go.” Takemi announced.

“Already?” Yusuke blinked.

“Yep.” She held open the door. Yusuke got up and proceeded to the hallway. “If you want another examination, come back on Thursday.”

“Thursday?” The blue-haired boy turned back at her. She nodded. And he nodded as well.  “Okay. Thank you, Takemi-sensei.” He bowed in appreciation.

“Be safe on your way home.” Takemi called out as Yusuke walked out. With that, Yusuke decided to call it a day and return home.  

 

* * *

 

The room was dimly lit. A single lightbulb dangled from the ceiling. A final stroke of a paint brush was made. The young artist took a step back and examined his work. “This…” He nodded in satisfaction. “Yes, that’s just it.” His dark eyes were dilated as he felt the blood rushing through his veins. “On Thursday, I’ll get that from Takemi-sensei’s clinic.” The painting consisted of a monochrome figure, it’s mouth open, screaming in agony with an enormous syringe penetrating its body…

 

 

**_i’lL UsE IT To eNd It aLL._ **

**_Next Scarlet…_ **

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all kin. I know I said I was going to post this chapter mid-late June, but crap happened. I apologize for telling such a lie XP. I'll just stick to updating this once a month like I said I was instead of making false promises. Anyway, this is the second half of the original 3rd chapter that I split into two because of how long it is! The next chapter will be the conclusion of the "Kitsch Abstracting" story line. Thanks for your patience and hope you enjoyed. See ya next month! ~


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